A devastating incident has unfolded in Noakhali’s Begumganj upazila, where a nineteen-year-old woman has been taken into police custody following the tragic death of her fourteen-day-old infant. Authorities report that the newborn was allegedly dropped into a drum filled with water, prompted by the mother’s frustration over the baby’s persistent crying and disrupted sleep patterns.
The grim discovery occurred at approximately 10:00 PM on Monday inside a residence belonging to Sourav Hossain near Majumdarhat Bazar in Ward 4 of Mirwarishpur Union. The victim was the infant son of Sourav Hossain and nineteen-year-old Fatema Begum, whose family hails from Sharif Ullah’s residence in Narottampur Union.
According to local residents, the couple married in November 2025 following a romantic relationship. Neighbours noted that domestic disputes had occasionally surfaced between the pair since their wedding, though law enforcement has not yet confirmed whether marital discord played any direct role in the tragedy.
Anxiety mounted on Monday evening when family members noticed the baby was missing and began searching the premises. When questioned, Fatema reportedly offered conflicting accounts of the infant’s whereabouts. Initially, she claimed that an intruder had struck her from behind and abducted the child. She later suggested that a supernatural entity had taken the baby away. These inconsistencies immediately heightened the family’s suspicions.
A thorough search of the home followed. At around 10:00 PM, relatives recovered the lifeless body of the newborn from a plastic drum kept inside the room to harvest rainwater. News of the incident quickly spread, sending shockwaves through the local community.
Preliminary police questioning suggests that Fatema eventually admitted to placing the infant in the water-filled drum. Investigators state that the young mother confessed the baby’s frequent crying prevented her from sleeping, which drove her to commit the act.
Police emphasise that a preliminary confession does not constitute a final legal conclusion. Investigators are carefully examining the circumstances surrounding the death, while standard legal protocols, including a formal post-mortem examination, will be carried out to establish the precise cause of death.
Officer-in-Charge Md Shamsuzzaman of Begumganj Police Station confirmed that the mother is currently in custody and that a comprehensive investigation is underway. Further legal measures will follow once the inquiry concludes.
The loss of a two-week-old infant has left neighbours and family members profoundly shaken, with the local community now awaiting the outcome of the police investigation to shed full light on the tragedy.
