Four-year-old said to have died in sleep; postmortem reveals murder in Kerala

Kazhakootam: The death of a four-year-old child, initially reported as having occurred in his sleep, has been confirmed as a murder, according to the postmortem report. The report states that the cause of death was an injury to the neck, with doctors noting clear ligature marks.

The child, Gilder, son of Munni Begum from West Bengal, was brought dead to a private hospital in Kazhakootam, Thiruvananthapuram, around 6 pm on Sunday. The mother told hospital authorities that the child had fallen asleep after lunch and did not wake up. However, during examination, doctors noticed injuries on the child’s neck and alerted the Kazhakootam police.

Following this, the child’s mother and her male friend were taken into custody. Police said a detailed investigation is under way to determine the exact sequence of events and whether both were involved in the crime, now that the death has been confirmed as murder.

The family had arrived in the area about two weeks ago along with another child aged one-and-a-half years. Police have also learnt that they had stayed at the same lodge two months earlier. It is reported that the mother had been living in Aluva after separating from her husband before coming to Kazhakootam with her children.

The forensic team carried out an inspection at the lodge where the family had been staying and collected evidence. Police said the formal arrest of Tanveer Alam, who is currently in custody, is likely to be recorded later on Monday after further questioning.