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Inside the Chongming No. 2 People’s Hospital in Shanghai where the baby was delivered. Photo: Jiefang Daily

Shanghai police detain grandfather and doctor suspected of killing newborn with cleft lip

Police in Shanghai have detained a man and a doctor on suspicion of murdering a newborn who had a cleft lip, local media have reported.

The man, who was the boy's grandfather, was suspected of killing the baby on July 15, one day after it was delivered at Chongming No. 2 People’s Hospital,  according to the Oriental Morning Post

The newspaper said the grandfather and a gynaecologist were placed under criminal detention by police in Chongming, an island at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

The authorities were investigating the case, it added.

The newspaper, citing unidentified sources, said the grandfather injected potassium chloride, undiluted by water, into the infant, killing it. The chemical compound is used to treat low levels of potassium in the body but concentrated doses can be fatal, and it has been used in lethal injections.

The grandfather sought advice from the doctor and obtained the potassium chloride from her, according to the report.

Medical staff at the hospital contacted police after the boy was found dead without any obvious injuries, the Post said.

Ji Hui, a deputy chief at the hospital, was quoted by the newspaper as saying the family members had been told by doctors the cleft clip could be fixed with proper treatment.

Ji described the gynaecologist as a hard-working doctor who had 20 years of experience.

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