Granduncle killed baby, say police

The city police have arrested the granduncle of the five-month-old boy, Gokul, who was found murdered in a sewage canal at RK Nagar on Saturday.

Police said the grandfather was allegedly unhappy over Gokul’s father’s marriage.

Police said they have arrested Karunakaran, uncle of Gokul’s father Rajesh, for allegedly murdering the infant. Police sources said that Karunakaran wanted Rajesh to marry his relative but the latter got married to one Gomathi (21). Karunakaran was apparently unhappy as Gomathi was earlier married to one Mohan with whom she had a four-year-old girl.

On Thursday, he had gone to Rajesh’s house and had kidnapped the baby after threatening Gomathi’s sister-in-law Rajalakshmi not to tell anyone about it, police said. He had later taken the baby to a house nearby and attempted to gag him with his hands when Gokul began to cry. The infant was suffocated to death, police said. He later disposed of the body in the sewage canal.

Gomathi, who had gone to a nearby shop leaving behind the sleeping baby at home, returned after a few minutes to find Gokul missing.

She lodged a complaint with the police. The next day, Rajesh noticed Gokul’s body floating in the nearby sewage canal.