BHOPAL: A one-day-old girl, the third daughter of a couple, was allegedly strangled to death inside the special newborn care unit (SNCU) of Ashoknagar district hospital in Madhya Pradesh.The post-mortem report has confirmed murder, and police are questioning the newborn’s mother and grandmother in connection with the case. No arrests had been reported till late Sunday.The baby was born to a couple from a village around 11pm on Friday. She was shifted from the postnatal ward to the SNCU shortly after birth for medical monitoring and care.On Saturday afternoon, the mother noticed marks on the infant’s neck and blood coming from her mouth.

She alerted her mother-in-law, following which the baby was taken to a doctor, who declared her dead.Hospital authorities said records showed that only the mother and grandmother had visited the baby inside the SNCU. The grandmother had taken the newborn along to feed her, officials said. The baby’s father had left for the village with his aunt on Saturday morning, while the mother and other family members remained at the hospital.

With no CCTV cameras inside the SNCU, police have examined footage from other parts of the hospital to piece together the sequence of events. Police said the circumstances surrounding the death appeared suspicious. A case has been registered, and the mother and grandmother are being questioned as part of the investigation.