Jakarta Globe , August 21, 2013.
A South Sumatra woman allegedly attempted to kill her 45-day-old daughter by chopping her hand off with a machete at the behest of a “mystical whisper,” police said on Wednesday.
The woman, identified as Megawati, became emotional after an argument with her husband, police said. She was breastfeeding her newborn baby Davina at her home in Harapan Makmur Satuan Pemukiman Village, in Musi Rawas, when she reportedly heard a voice urging her to hack her child’s hand off.
“I heard a mystical whisper from someone [telling me] to cut off my baby’s hand to save our village,” Megawati, 27, recalled, according to reports in the Indonesian news portal Kompas.com.
Megawati was allegedly about to cut Davina’s throat when her godmother Maemunah, 45, stepped out of the bathroom and saw blood gushing from the child’s arm. Megawati was reportedly standing near the baby with a machete in her hand.
Maemunah stepped in and saved the child.
Davina was admitted to intensive care at Dr. Sobirin Musi Rawas Hospital. The girl survived but lost her hand.
Police believe Megawati became distraught after an argument with her husband. She then took her frustration out on her newborn daughter, Mursi Rawas Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Chaidiri told Kompas.com.
“We have arrested the suspect, the temporary motive is that she had an argument with her husband and lost herself and then she chopped off her baby’s hand with a machete,” he said.
Megawati was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation.
“She first told police that she made a mistake when she chopped off her daughter’s hand,” Chaidiri told the Indonesian newspaper Tribun News. “The next morning she said she heard a ‘mystical whisper.’ Because of the suspect’s inconsistent explanation, we will perform a psychological test on her.”
She was charged with seriously injuring a child under the 2002 Child Protection Law and faces a maximum of five years in prison if convicted.
Megawati reportedly has three other children.
*
wo 21 aug 2013 - 7:53