Mother Held in Noakhali Over Newborn Son’s Murder

A tragic incident unfolded in Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila, where a 19-year-old mother has been taken into police custody following the death of her 14-day-old newborn son. Investigators suspect the infant was drowned because his crying disrupted the mother’s sleep, casting a dark shadow over a local community grappling with the shock of the event.

The grim episode occurred on Monday night at around 10:00 PM inside a residence near Majumdarhat Bazar in Mirwarishpur Union’s Ward 4. The victim, a fortnight-old infant, was the son of local resident Sourav Hossain and Fatema Begum. Fatema, originally from the neighbouring Narottompur Union, is the daughter of Sharif Ullah.

According to local accounts, the couple married in November 2025 following a romance, though domestic friction had reportedly plagued their household since the wedding. On Monday evening, alarm bells rang through the homestead when the newborn suddenly went missing. When family members pressed Fatema for answers, her explanations shifted erratically. She initially claimed an intruder had struck her from behind and abducted the baby, before altering her story to suggest supernatural involvement, claiming malevolent spirits had taken the child.

These conflicting statements immediately heightened the family’s suspicions. A frantic search of the premises ensued, culminating in a grim discovery at approximately 10:00 PM. Relatives located the infant’s lifeless body submerged inside a large plastic drum used for harvesting rainwater within the home.

Police officers arrived at the scene shortly after and detained the mother for formal questioning. Investigators reported that under interrogation, Fatema eventually broke down and confessed to discarding the infant into the water-filled drum. Authorities indicated that the young mother expressed severe frustration over the baby’s persistent crying and his interference with her rest as the primary motivation behind the fatal act.

Inspector Md. Shamsuzzaman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Begumganj Police Station, confirmed that the mother remains in custody while a thorough investigation gets underway. Law enforcement officials have stated that formal legal proceedings will follow once the inquiry concludes, as the community mourns a devastating loss brought to light by family vigilance and police intervention.