Kochi: The horrific case of a 3-year-old girl, allegedly murdered by her mother by being thrown into the Chalakudy river, has taken a deeply disturbing turn.

Post-mortem examination of the child's body has shockingly revealed that she was raped, leading to the arrest of the victim's paternal uncle (father's brother), intensifying the horror surrounding the incident in Ernakulam district. A POCSO case has been "registered according to sources.

The child's mother and a resident of Kurumassery, remains in police custody after confessing to the premeditated act of throwing her daughter into the Chalakudy river from Moozhikkulam bridge on Monday evening.

Police had previously stated that mother’s actions were planned, with CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts tracing her movements from a bus journey to Moozhikkulam, where she allegedly waited for an isolated moment to commit the crime. The child's body was recovered after midnight during a joint search operation.

However, the investigation gained a grim new dimension following the post-mortem report. The discovery of sexual assault on the child's body led detectives to immediately apprehend a male relative of the child's father. The arrested individual has been identified as father’s brother. Investigators are now working to establish the full extent of his involvement in the murder or the preceding circumstances that led to the heinous act.

Mother's family has previously alleged that she endured years of mental and physical abuse at her husband’s home. With the new details prompting an expanded investigation into the potential involvement of others and the precise sequence of events. The community remains in shock as more horrific details emerge from this deeply disturbing incident.