Balaramapuram baby’s murder: Uncle arrested; mother shifted to women's shelter

Thiruvananthapuram: Police have officially arrested Harikumar, accused of murdering his two-year-old niece in Balramapuram. He will be produced in court on Friday. Meanwhile, the child's mother, Shreethu, has been moved to a women's shelter at Poojappura here, as there was no one to take her in.

Police confirmed that Harikumar threw the child into the well. They also revealed that he had previously abused the girl and, just two days before the incident, had grabbed and thrown her during a domestic dispute.

Reports had earlier suggested that Shreethu was also involved in the crime and could be named as an accused. However, after questioning, the police decided to release her temporarily. Since she had no one to support her, she was later moved to the women’s shelter. The police stated that further investigations will determine her exact role, if any, in the crime, and that more details will be collected in the coming days.

The victim, Devendu, was the daughter of Shreethu and Sreejith. The baby was reported missing in the early hours of Thursday. Following an extensive search, her body was found in a well near the house around 8.15 am. The police and Fire Force retrieved the body in the joint operation.

Later, the post-mortem report confirmed that the child had drowned. There were no external injuries, but water was found in her lungs, indicating that she was alive when thrown into the well. 

While police have concluded that Harikumar was responsible for the murder, the exact motive still remains unclear. The police also claimed that Harikumar had an unexplained anger towards the child. Sources also mentioned that he had relationships with several women, which led to family issues.

Investigators suspect that financial troubles may not be the only reason behind the crime and are exploring other possible factors.