Mother kills 14-day-old son in Noakhali

A mother has allegedly killed her 14-day-old son by dumping him into a water drum in Begumganj of Noakhali reportedly because the baby cried excessively and disturbed her sleep.

The baby’s mother, Fatema Begum, 19, has been taken into police custody for questioning in connection with the incident.

The incident took place around 10 PM on Monday at a house near Majumdarhat Bazar in Ward No. 4 of Mirwarishpur Union in the upazila. The deceased newborn was the son of Sourav Hossain of the same house.

Sourav married Fatema in November 2025. Marital disputes had reportedly continued since their marriage. When the newborn went missing on Monday evening, family members questioned Fatema. She initially claimed that an unidentified person had taken the baby and later said that a jinn had taken him, raising the family’s suspicions. During a subsequent search, the newborn’s body was recovered from a plastic drum used to store rainwater inside the house.

Begumganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Shamsuzzaman said, Fatema told police, ''The newborn used to disturb her and would not let her sleep."

The incident is being investigated, and further legal action will be taken, the OC added.

-MR/MT/TF