Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh: A man reportedly threw the body of his stillborn child in a canal after the elderly men in his village did not allow him to perform the last rites as they believed the baby was COVID positive.

The police confirmed the news on Tuesday this week.

Sudhakar Reddy, a Sub-Inspector at the Nandyal police station, released a statement about the incident.

Officer Reddy said:

The accused is identified as Shansha Vali. He is a resident of Kotapadu village in Sirivel Mandal of Kurnool district. Vali admitted his wife, Madar Bee, to the Government Hospitals in Nandyal for delivery on Friday morning. She gave birth to a stillborn baby girl in the evening the same day. Vali tried to take the baby to his village for the last rites. But the village elders did not allow him to do so as they suspected the baby had COVID-19 infection. Vali threw the body into the Kurnool-Cuddapah Canal near Chabolu village while on his way to his house in Kotapadu village.

Local residents found the body of the baby floating in the canal.

On July 18, 2020, the locals informed the police about the dead baby.

The police said that the baby had a tag on her hand, which helped them contact her parents.

Shansha Vali, the main accused, was contacted by the police.

The family took the body of the baby for the last rites after the authorities handed them the body of the stillborn child.

According to reports, the deceased was a stillborn girl child.

Shansha Vali was not arrested, detained, or charged by the police.

According to local news reports, the police did not file any case against the village heads or Vali for doing such a horrible act.