Homeless man arrested for killing 5-month-old daughter, dumping body in dustbin

The accused, identified as Debojit Jana alias Piklu Jana, was arrested on Friday night after locals caught him near a Shiv temple in the Maidan police station area, they said. She told locals that the child was killed while they were sitting on the Brigade Parade Ground, and the body was later dumped in a dustbin along Jawaharlal Nehru Road, a senior police officer said.

A homeless man was arrested for allegedly killing his 5-month-old daughter and dumping the body in a roadside dustbin in central Kolkata, police said on Saturday. The accused, identified as Debojit Jana alias Piklu Jana, was arrested on Friday night after locals caught him near a Shiv temple in the Maidan police station area, they said. The matter came to light after the accused's wife, Kajol Jana (18), broke down before some people near the temple and alleged that her husband had beaten and throttled their infant daughter to death last Sunday. ''She told locals that the child was killed while they were sitting on the Brigade Parade Ground, and the body was later dumped in a dustbin along Jawaharlal Nehru Road,'' a senior police officer said. Police said when Debojit reached the spot, locals confronted him. ''He later led investigators to the dustbin where he had allegedly disposed of the body. Nothing was found there as the garbage had already been cleared,'' the officer said. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the accused was arrested. Investigators said CCTV footage showed the accused near the dustbin around 10.04 pm on May 3 carrying a white plastic bag. Earlier footage showed him carrying the baby in his lap. ''The footage is an important piece of evidence. The clothes worn by the accused on the night of the incident have also been seized,'' the officer said. Police said efforts were underway to trace the infant's body. The garbage collection vehicle that cleared the bin on Monday has been identified, he added. Hospital records confirmed that Kajol had delivered a girl child at Matri Sadan Hospital in December last year, police said.