A 28-year-old woman has admitted to abandoning her newborn after the baby’s body was found inside a waste bucket in the toilet of a private hospital at Akampadam near Nilambur, the police said.

The woman, a native of Chaliyar, is under police custody at the District Hospital, Nilambur. Medical examination confirmed that she had recently given birth. During questioning, she reportedly told the police that the baby was stillborn.

The body of the full-term baby boy was discovered on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) morning by a hospital worker while cleaning the toilet.

According to preliminary investigation, the woman arrived at the hospital around Monday (July 27, 2026) midnight with her husband and relatives, complaining of excessive bleeding.

The police said neither she nor her family disclosed that she was pregnant. As no female doctor was available, the hospital staff advised them to shift her to another hospital.

According to the police, the woman entered the toilet claiming that she wanted to change her clothes, delivered the baby there, placed the infant in a waste bucket, covered it, and left around 45 minutes later.

She was then taken to the District Hospital at Nilambur, where she reportedly did not reveal that she had given birth.

The police said the woman had not informed her family about the pregnancy. Her husband, who works in the Gulf, had returned home four days earlier. This was her third delivery.

The police registered a case of unnatural death. They said detailed statements would be recorded from the woman, her husband, and other family members. Further investigation will continue after the newborn’s post-mortem.

Published - July 29, 2026 08:56 pm IST