A 45-year-old widow gave birth to a boy who was found dead hours later on Wednesday night in Mahestala, on the southern fringes of the city.

Four persons have been detained but the prime accused, the alleged father of the child, is absconding.

Police said Sabitri Pramanick, whose husband died more than 20 years ago, was having an affair with Palan Sardar, a neighbour in the Dakshin Rameswarpur locality of Mahestala. Sabitri has two sons, both of whom are married, while Palan, 47, has a son and a daughter.

“On Wednesday afternoon, Sabitri gave birth to a male child in a deserted house in the locality. Palan was present there,” said Soma, Sabitri’s daughter-in-law.

“My mother-in-law’s condition deteriorated after the delivery, prompting Palan to raise an alarm. Neighbours rushed in and found the duo with the child,” Soma recalled.

Sabitri was taken to a local hospital and later shifted to Chittaranjan Seva Sadan. “Palan, meanwhile, took the newborn to his brother’s house in the same neighbourhood. But at night, we found the child had died and there was no trace of Palan,” said Dhiren Sardar, a neighbour of Palan.

The child’s body has been sent for post-mortem. “The report will help us establish whether the child had been murdered or not. A DNA test will also be conducted on the body,” said Praveen Kumar, the superintendent of police (South 24-Parganas).

Among those detained are the wife and brother of Palan.