Payyannur: Seven months after four family members were found dead in their home, a woman has come forward with shocking claims, saying that one of her children was sexually abused by their paternal grandfather and then poisoned to death to cover up the crime.

The claims are linked to a child sexual abuse case registered last year under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Payyannur. The grandfather, a well-known local theatre actor, was arrested earlier and released on bail. He was recently arrested again for allegedly abusing a 16-year-old girl.

The deaths happened on 22 December, 2025, when police found four bodies in a house in Ramanthali. The victims were a 6-year-old girl, a 2-year-old boy, their father, and their paternal grandmother. Later investigations led to suspicions against the paternal grandfather for abusing a child, bringing renewed attention to the case.

Speaking out seven months after the tragedy, the woman said her father-in-law abused her daughter and poisoned the children to silence them and destroy evidence.

She added that when she first spoke about the abuse, people claimed she was mentally ill, while her father-in-law continued committing the crime until his recent arrest.

She said there were clear physical signs of abuse, including cuts, marks and swellings. She said her 6-year-old daughter complained of pain in her private parts and told that her grandfather hurt her while she slept. A closer look showed cuts and swellings on the child's body.

Worried for her child, she took her to the Payyannur Cooperative Hospital and spoke to a doctor. A medical exam conducted in the labour room confirmed that the child had been sexually assaulted. Police registered a case, but the woman said her father-in-law used his political power to avoid arrest at the time.

The mother criticised the police, saying they ignored her pleas and wrote reports to protect the grandfather. She said he took the children to his house without her permission, keeping one child there for 40 days. When she complained to the police about this, officers took no action against him and instead filed cases against her.

Along with police inaction, the mother described living through severe abuse and threats. Her husband had threatened to kill her if she spoke out. Her father-in-law and his associates physically assaulted and abused her. She added that they purposefully created fights between her and husband so she could not confide in him.

Things got worse the day before the children were supposed to move back home for good. The woman said her husband called and threatened to poison the children. The next day, when no one answered the phone, she alerted the police.

A Pink Police unit checked the empty house and left after reporting that there was no response. She claimed that her children would be alive if police had acted properly on that day.

The woman stated that the accused is a powerful local figure who used his political connections to destroy evidence and control the investigation. She said her name was used in her husband and mother-in-law’s suicide notes as part of a setup to frame her. She also claimed villagers were tricked into believing her husband’s ashes should be buried next to their children, calling it a trick planned in advance.