Toddler killed after crying during mother’s sex act with lover; murder uncovered after three years

THIRUVALLA: A three-year-old child whose body was found buried in a marsh in Pulikeezhu three years ago was murdered, police have established. The child’s mother, Manju, 45, has been taken into custody, while her male companion, Siva, is accused of killing the child by suffocation.

The child’s body was discovered in a marsh near St Mary’s Orthodox Church in Pulikeezhu in August 2023. The body was believed to have been buried several days before it was found. According to the information received by the police, Siva allegedly killed the child after becoming irritated when the child cried while he and Manju were engaged in a sexual encounter. The alleged crime took place on the premises of a shop near the KSRTC junction in Changanassery.

The case came back into focus following an argument between Manju and Siva in Palakkad a few days ago. During the dispute, the two reportedly blamed each other over the child’s murder. Local residents alerted the area’s Scheduled Caste (SC) promoter, who subsequently passed the information on to the police. The information led police to Manju, a nomadic woman from Meenkara in Palakkad who had recently been living in Tamil Nadu. Her arrest has been formally recorded. Police have intensified their search for Siva and his brother, Shakthi, in connection with the case.