Kochi: A one-and-a-half year old baby girl was allegedly drowned by her grandmother's young lover at a hotel here, police said on Wednesday.

John Binoy Dcruz (27) was arrested today in connection with the incident, they said.

The woman was allegedly a sex worker and she had gone to the hotel with her two grandkids -- the infant girl and her five-year-old brother -- and her lover, in connection with that.

Later in the evening, a senior police official told reporters here that right from the start the police had considered the child's death as suspicious and had not believed the story of the grandmother and her lover that the infant choked while having milk.

The official said that Dcruz was allowed to leave after his initial questioning and on reaching his home at Palluruthy here, he confessed to his mother about what he had done.

Subsequently, the mother informed the Palluruthy police station and officers from there arrested the accused.

The accused, during questioning, admitted that he drowned the baby, the official said and added that police were also investigating whether the grandmother had any role and whether the two of them together planned to get rid of the infant.

According to the official, the accused was not happy that the children's father had left the kids with the grandmother and that she appeared to be in the young man's clutches.

While the infant's father was undergoing treatment at some hospital, his wife was abroad for work for three months, police said and added that as a result the two kids were left with their paternal grandmother.

Meanwhile, the kids' mother, who returned to India on being informed that the infant was not well, told the media that she came to know of her baby girl's death only after arriving here.

She said her mother-in-law was involved in various criminal cases which she learnt only after the wedding -- which was a love marriage.

She also said that she will not allow those responsible for her baby's death to escape from law.

The police came to know of the incident after the hospital where the baby was taken, informed it.

The baby died before reaching the hospital, police said and added that investigation was on to unearth further details regarding the incident.