Bengaluru couple allegedly kill 11-month-old daughter, claim infant ‘fell from cot’

2 min readUpdated: Jul 7, 2026 09:56 AM IST

Neighbours and eyewitnesses, who allegedly said the couple frequently quarrelled as the husband suspected his wife of having an extramarital affair.

The Bengaluru police arrested a tractor driver Monday for allegedly killing his 11-month-old daughter, following a quarrel with his wife in June, while the child’s mother, who is also under investigation, is absconding with their one-and-a-half-year-old son.

According to the police, the incident took place on June 9 at a shed near Happy Garden in Kitaganur village. Shakappa and Vijayalakshmi initially claimed that the infant had accidentally fallen from a cot after the mother fell asleep while breastfeeding her. The child was taken to a private hospital, where she was declared dead.

They registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) and sent the body for a post-mortem examination.

“The post-mortem revealed multiple external injuries and damage to the infant’s internal organs. We questioned both the father and the mother during the investigation, but neither disclosed what had actually happened. Based on the medical evidence, eyewitness accounts, and other circumstantial evidence, we arrested the father,” said a police officer.

The police then converted the case into a murder investigation.

They said the accused threw the infant to the ground and assaulted her, causing injuries that proved fatal. The police said the mother did not intervene or attempt to save the child, which also became a focus of the investigation.

Paternity suspicion

During the investigation, the police recorded the statements of neighbours and eyewitnesses, who told them that the couple frequently quarrelled as the man suspected his wife of having an extramarital affair.

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The police said the accused also doubted the paternity of the girl and was unhappy that the child was a daughter.

They said they issued notices directing the woman to appear for questioning, but she failed to respond to the summons and remains untraceable.

Meanwhile, Saidulu Adavath, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Whitefield Division, responded to allegations on social media that the parents were being falsely implicated.

“The case was registered on the basis of the post-mortem findings and circumstantial evidence,” said Adavath.