Agartala, 15th July 2026: A court in Kailashahar has sentenced an elderly couple to two years of rigorous imprisonment for killing their newborn granddaughter and burying her body in a nearby forest in a shocking case that had stunned the Khawrabil area four years ago.
The convicts, Mahendra Namah and his wife Aarti Namah, residents of Khawrabil, were also fined ₹5,000 each. In default of payment, they will have to undergo an additional two months of imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, Mahendra Namah’s daughter, who had married in Assam’s Karimganj district in 2020, returned to her parental home following marital discord. On the night of February 23 that year, she gave birth to a baby girl.
The prosecution alleged that the infant was killed shortly after birth and her body was dumped in a stream near the house. The incident came to light the following morning when a local child spotted the body while playing and alerted villagers.
Investigators alleged that after the body was discovered, Mahendra and Aarti Namah attempted to destroy evidence by retrieving the body, taking it to a nearby forest, digging a pit, and burying it.
Based on a complaint lodged by local resident Pradip Namah, Irani Police registered Case No. 13/2020 and launched an investigation. The then investigating officer, Kamalakanta Jamatia, recovered the body from the burial site and later submitted a chargesheet after completing the probe.
The trial was conducted by Public Prosecutor Sunirmal Deb. During the proceedings, 17 witnesses were examined. After considering the evidence and witness testimonies, the court found Mahendra Namah and Aarti Namah guilty. Another accused in the case was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Speaking after the verdict, Public Prosecutor Deb said the judgment reaffirmed that justice ultimately prevails when supported by credible evidence, irrespective of the time elapsed since the commission of the crime. He said the verdict also sends a strong message that crimes against children will be dealt with strictly under the law.
