The woman was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon after confessing to throwing her daughter into the Chalakudy river from the Moozhikkulam bridge on Monday evening. Police have stated that the crime was not spontaneous, but a carefully planned act.

Family allegations

Speaking to reporters, the woman’s mother alleged that her daughter had been repeatedly harassed by her husband and in-laws since her marriage in 2013. “They blamed her for everything. She was living under immense mental stress and was even physically assaulted,” the grandmother said. “She was broken.”

The woman had reportedly returned to her parental home about six weeks before Vishu due to tensions in her marital home. Although she briefly returned for the festival, the issues reportedly persisted. After fresh incidents of alleged abuse, her sister contacted the police women's helpline. The in-laws had also pushed for a psychiatric evaluation, but doctors found no evidence of any mental health disorder.

Police investigation

According to police, on Monday afternoon, the woman left an Anganwadi centre with her daughter, claiming she was heading home. However, investigators say she had other plans. She initially approached the Periyar river but changed course after noticing a group of auto drivers nearby. She then boarded a bus and eventually reached the more secluded Moozhikkulam bridge.

CCTV footage and eyewitness reports confirmed that the woman and the child travelled by private bus. Passengers gave her a seat, noting she displayed no emotion during the journey. Investigators believe she waited for the moment when the area was deserted before throwing the child into the river. She then returned home and told her family that the child had gone missing from a bus in Aluva.

A search operation led by local authorities, including fire and rescue personnel and divers, recovered the child’s body from the Chalakudy river around 12:30 AM.