Police on Monday arrested a woman on charges of killing her 5-month-old daughter in the Paschim Palashbari village of Taraganj upazila in Rangpur.

The deceased was Juhi Rani, daughter of Babu Lal Roy.

Officer-in-Charge of Taraganj Police Station Rafiqul Islam stated that Tulsi Rani, 27, wife of Babu Lal Roy, slaughtered the child with a knife in her room around 6:15am while she was crying. Later, her family members informed the police.

The body was recovered and sent to the hospital morgue for an autopsy. The mother, Tulsi Rani, was arrested at the scene as the child's father had filed a murder case against her. The knife used in the murder was also recovered. The child's grandmother, Patani Bala, said that her daughter-in-law Tulsi, had been mentally unwell for some time.

The child's father, Babu Lal Roy, said, "My wife is mentally ill. After killing my daughter, she told me, 'I cannot raise your child, take your child now. I killed her myself. Since this child was born, I haven't been able to cook and eat properly. I can't even take care of another daughter I have; that is the problem.”

"Primarily, we have confirmed that the mother, Tulsi Rani, killed the child, and she has also confessed. Preliminary investigation suggests that Tulsi Rani is mentally ill. The matter will be properly investigated, and appropriate action will be taken. The arrested Tulsi Rani has been sent to jail through a court order.", the OC said.