Kochi, Dec 5 (PTI) Kerala Police on Tuesday said the death of a one-and-a-half-month-old boy, brought for treatment at a government hospital here on Sunday, was allegedly a murder, and took his mother and her partner into custody.

Kannur resident Shanif (25) and the mother of the child Ashwini (25), a resident of Alappuzha, were taken into custody and their arrest will be recorded soon, police said.

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On December 2, the couple had taken the child to Ernakulam General Hospital claiming that he was unconscious. However, the infant was declared brought dead.

The couple later claimed that the baby fell from their hands. However doctors identified head injuries and alerted the police.

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A senior police official said Shanif allegedly hit the child causing a severe injury.

The duo were being questioned since Monday and they have been taken into custody, the official said.

They will be booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Section 302 (murder) and relevant sections of the Juvenile justice Act, the official added.

Ashwini has claimed that she was pregnant with the child from her estranged husband when she met Shanif.

"It is suspected that Shanif wanted to get rid of the child. Her role as an accomplice in the crime is also being probed," police said.

The accused were staying at a lodge near Karukappilly near Kochi, police added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)