New Delhi ( CNN ) -- A 3-month-old baby , whose father has been arrested on allegations he beat her for being born a girl , died Wednesday at a hospital in South India , a doctor said . The baby , named Afreen , was hospitalized in Bangalore on Sunday with burn marks on her head and a dislocated neck , injuries that police said were caused by her father , Umar Farooq . Farooq , a 22-year-old car painter , was arrested Sunday and is in custody facing trial on charges of attempted murder , said N.H. Siddappa , a police investigator . Following Afreen 's death , Farooq will now be charged with murder , Siddappa said . The baby died of cardiac arrest after multiple convulsions Wednesday , said R. Premalatha , a pediatrician at Bangalore 's Vani Vilas Hospital . Siddappa said that Farooq had confessed to battering the baby because he wanted a son . According to the police , Afreen was the first child of Farooq and his 19-year-old wife . The case highlights the preference among many Indians for sons over daughters , a situation that has already created a worrisome gender imbalance in the world 's second most populous nation after China . A 2011 census report recorded an alarming drop in the percentage of girls among the country 's preschoolers . For every 1,000 boys aged 6 or younger , the findings counted 914 girls , down from 927 a decade ago -- the lowest ratio since India gained independence in 1947 , according to the report . Sex-selective abortions , although illegal in India , are believed to be rampant , often aided by unauthorized clinics . `` The reasons for high number of incidence of female feticide in India include a deep-rooted traditional son preference , continued practice of dowry , and concern for safety of the girl child and exploitation and abuse of women and girl children , '' Krishna Tirath , India 's minister for women and child development , said last year . Afreen 's death follows that of a 2-year-old abandoned girl last month . The 2-year-old , named Falak , had been hospitalized in New Delhi with severe head injuries , fractured arms and human bite marks covering her tiny body . Once the police began investigating Falak 's back story , they unearthed suspicions of a human trafficking ring . The details sparked outrage among authorities and the public alike , who say the case raises a host of questions about child abandonment , exploitation and the poor treatment of girls and women in India .
3-month - old son Farooq died of cardiac arrest after convulsions , a witness says . Her father , already in custody , will be charged with murder , police say . Police say the father has confessed to killing the little girl because he wanted a son . The case highlights the preference among many women for sons over daughters .