Ranchi, Apr 18 (IANS): A newborn girl was allegedly murdered by her father near this Jharkhand capital city Tuesday, police said. The man, a resident of Damari village near the city, is now on the run.

Shanti, the girl's mother, told Chutia police station officials that her husband, Anand, killed their new-born baby while they were on way to Ranchi on a motorcycle.

When they reached the Taimara Valley, Anand pushed her off the motorbike and she lost her consciousness when she fell, Shanti told police. When she regained consciousness, she found that the body of their 12-day-old baby lying by the roadside, she said.

Anand then took her back to the village and fled, she said. After the incident, Shanti said, she called her sister in Ranchi and together they lodged a police complaint. She also told the police that her husband was unhappy about the birth of a girl.

The baby's body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and the report is awaited.