CNN-IBN

Hyderabad, Jun 12: A 21-day-old baby's mercilessly mutilated body was found in the city on Sunday. The police are investigating the murder and the father has been arrested as a suspect.

Chennama had given birth to a girl 21 days back. On Sunday, just one day after celebrations marking 21 days of her birth, the baby was found murdered.

It was a gruesome death. The body was found in a badly mutilated condition. "We don't know who killed my baby. Only God knows. I wish he would have killed me instead," wails Chenamma.

The baby was Chennama's third daughter. The police have arrested the father of the baby. They suspect he murdered her to avoid the cost of raising another girl child.

"I don't know who killed the child. Why will I kill my child? Why will I kill my daughter like this?" says the baby's father.

Despite the arrest, the police have not ruled out the murder being a part of a sacrifice ritual. The mutilated condition of the body adds weight to this theory.