Police in India have launched an investigation after the headless body of an infant, believed to be around three to four months old, was discovered near a cremation ground in Kanjhawala on Monday morning.
According to police, a call reporting the discovery was received at around 7am. A police team subsequently reached the location and found the infant’s body with a medical cannula still attached to one of the hands. Pieces of cotton were also found near the body.
The remains were subsequently shifted to a hospital, where a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted. Investigators said the autopsy will be crucial in determining how and when the infant died.
Police are also trying to establish who brought the body to the area and left it near the cremation ground. As part of the investigation, officers are conducting inquiries in the surrounding locality and collecting CCTV footage from nearby cameras in an attempt to trace the person responsible.
A police officer familiar with the investigation said the identity of the person who left the body at the site has not yet been established.
Investigators are examining multiple possibilities regarding the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death. The post-mortem is expected to indicate whether the child died of natural causes before the body was abandoned or whether the infant was subjected to violence.
Police are also examining the possibility that the mutilation may have been linked to an occult practice, although officers stressed that this theory has not been established and remains part of the ongoing inquiry.
Further details are expected after the autopsy and analysis of CCTV footage. Police have initiated inquest proceedings and are continuing efforts to identify the infant and trace the person who left the body at the cremation ground.
