Chengannur: A newborn baby was found dead in Alakkodu, Chengannur, on Tuesday morning. The police recovered the body after a 21-year-old woman sought treatment for stomach pain at a hospital in Chengannur.

Doctors, suspecting that the woman had recently delivered a child, questioned her about the baby. As she failed to give a clear response, the hospital alerted the Station House Officer (SHO) at Elavumthitta police station.

The police later found the infant’s body in a hedge on a vacant plot adjacent to the woman’s home. The baby was declared dead at the scene.“We have registered a case and begun the inquest. We are awaiting the post-mortem report to determine the exact cause of death. The mother’s health is currently stable,” said Elavumthitta police. An investigation is underway to ascertain whether the baby was born alive and subsequently abandoned.