A plastic bag fell from a bridge, and when curious passersby looked inside, they found the bleeding body of a newborn. The incident happened in West Bengal's Malda district on Thursday, triggering tension in the area, police said.

The newborn, who was wrapped in a cloth inside the plastic bag when dropped from Sahapur bridge, died instantly, they said.

Locals said they couldn't see who dropped the baby from the bridge.

Officers of the English Bazar police station sent the body to the Malda Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police said they are searching for those behind the incident, which happened around 11 am.