Kalluvathukkal case, concealing pregnancy and abandoning infant; Verdict to be declared soon

KOLLAM: In the case of the Kollam Kalluvathukal incident, where a woman concealed her pregnancy from her family, including her husband and left the baby in a heap of dried leaves after giving birth, the verdict is expected in the middle of this month. Two additional investigating officers are to be questioned in the case.

Apart from the tragic death of the baby, two young women involved in the case later committed suicide. The accused is Reshma of Pezhuvila house in Eezhayikode, Kalluvathukal. On the morning of January 5, 2021, the baby's cries were heard in the rubber plantation behind Reshma's house. Reshma's mother checked but couldn't detect any movement, so she disregarded it, assuming it might be a cat. Later in the morning, upon hearing the cries again, the baby boy was discovered with the umbilical cord cut off. The baby was taken to Kollam Govt. Hospital and SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram but died the same evening.

DNA testing confirmed that the deceased baby belonged to Reshma. Reshma's current assertion is that she did not give birth. Her relatives also changed their statements, denying that such an incident occurred. The prosecution hopes that the DNA results will incriminate the accused. During the trial, a relative revealed to the court that the accused had concealed the pregnancy for eight months and got married after the incident came to light.

After Reshma confessed to the crime, her husband Vishnu's brother's wife Arya and sister-in-law Greeshma committed suicide. The police discovered that it was Arya and Greeshma who chatted with Reshma on the phone posing as her boyfriend.

The chargesheet alleges that Reshma abandoned the baby based on false information from a fake boyfriend on Facebook. Vishnu and Reshma have a three-year-old daughter. The fake lover insisted he wouldn't accept a second child leading Reshma to hide her pregnancy from her relatives. On January 4, 2021, a boy was delivered in the bathroom outside the house at 9 pm and then the baby was abandoned in a pile of dried leaves in a nearby rubber plantation.