A domestic worker was held by the Delhi Police for allegedly strangling her newborn baby to death after giving birth in her employer’s bathroom in Patel Nagar, an official said on Friday.
A senior officer said the accused, identified as Roshni, 26, who had been working as a domestic helper since 2023, disposed of the body in a white trash bag.
During the investigation, it came out that the woman had conceived the child after she visited her village in November 2024 to attend a wedding, where she was in a physical relationship with her boyfriend.
After coming back to Delhi, when she came to know about her pregnancy, she told her boyfriend, who refused to support her, the officer mentioned in his statement.
Additionally, he mentioned that Roshni had been married in 2019 and later got divorced in 2021.
The matter came to light when, on July 28, the officers of the Patel Nagar police station were informed about the incident through a PCR call, reporting that the caller had found the body of a newborn in a white plastic bag in the parking area of a flat in West Patel Nagar.
A team of cops responded by reaching the spot, where they found the body of a male newborn stuffed inside the bag, following which the crime team, along with the forensic experts, were called to the scene.
Subsequently, the body was taken to the mortuary for autopsy, the officer added in his statement.
Initial inquiry revealed that Roshni, who was originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli, had recently given birth, the officer said.
Roshni, to conceal her pregnancy from her employers, claimed that she had been experiencing a medical condition that caused abdominal swelling when they suggested she see a doctor.
“On July 26, when the house owners were out at a party, Roshni delivered the baby solely in the washroom,” he added.
The accused, who was held, confessed that she strangled the infant with a piece of cloth due to fear of social stigma and then placed the body in a plastic bag, which she later discarded in the trash area of the building.
The police were informed when, two days later, a sanitation worker found the body while collecting garbage.
Roshni, who left the house earlier, was nabbed, and the owner was informed, who then contacted the police.
Following the recovery of the body, Roshni was sent for a medical examination, and inquest proceedings were initiated under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The autopsy was conducted on July 29 at the RML Hospital, which confirmed the death of the newborn by strangulation, officers said.
On Thursday, a case was registered at the Patel Nagar Police Station under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 238(a) (offence of causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen an offender) of the BNS, and further investigation was taken up.
Before her arrest, she was held at the Sakhi One Stop Centre within the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital. Her statement will be recorded before a magistrate after obtaining legal counsel.
The police also mentioned that her boyfriend, a resident of the same village in Raebareli, will be summoned for questioning and may be arrested, depending on the outcome of the investigation.