To ensure a comprehensive investigation, a SIT has been constituted under the supervision of the Puthencruz and Aluva DySPs, as directed by Ernakulam Rural SP M Hemalatha.
Published May 22, 2025 | 10:51 AM ⚊ Updated May 22, 2025 | 10:51 AM
Kochi toddler murder. (Representative image)
Synopsis: A three-year-old girl in Kerala, initially reported missing, was found dead in the Chalakudy river. Her mother confessed to the murder, but a post-mortem revealed she was raped. Police have taken the child’s paternal uncle into custody, and a POCSO case has been registered. A Special Investigation Team is probing the case.
The shocking death of the three-year-old, allegedly murdered by her mother by throwing her into the Chalakudy river, in Kerala’s Aluva has taken a darker turn, with the post-mortem examination revealing that the child had been raped before her death.
The child was initially reported to be missing on Monday, 19 May. Following an eight-hour search operation by the police, the child’s body was found in the river. Later, her mother admitted to murdering the child.
Following this revelation, police have taken the victim’s paternal uncle, her father’s brother, into custody. Sources from the police confirmed to South First that a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered by Chengamanad Police.
The post-mortem was conducted at Kalamassery Medical College. Following suspicions of rape, the case was transferred from Chengamanad Police to Puthencruz Police.
To ensure a comprehensive investigation, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted under the supervision of the Puthencruz and Aluva DySPs, as directed by Ernakulam Rural SP M Hemalatha.
The SIT, which also includes cyber experts, will probe both the murder and rape aspects of the case.
Police will submit a petition to the Aluva Magistrate Court seeking a seven-day extension of custody for the child’s mother, who remains a key accused in the murder. According to police sources, the interrogation of the mother has not yet revealed any clear motive for the crime.
Three of the child’s relatives were taken into custody earlier. While two were later released, the child’s paternal uncle was detained based on suspicion, a development that marked a crucial turning point in the investigation. However, authorities have not confirmed whether he has confessed to any involvement in the crime.
Puthencruz CI Abbasali M told South First that the accused has been apprehended and the arrest will be formally recorded on Thursday, 22 May. He added that the SIT is currently handling the probe, and further details will be shared during the SP’s media briefing.
It was on Monday night, that a massive search operation was underway in Kochi after the three-year-old girl went missing from a private bus. The child was travelling with her mother from Thiruvankulam to Aluva when she disappeared near the crowded Aluva Market stop around 7 pm.
Earlier, police suspected abduction and launched a multi-team investigation, examining CCTV footage, questioning passengers and staff, and deploying canine squads. Authorities alerted all districts and widely shared her photo. The Kerala Child Rights Commission demanded an urgent report, and Childline volunteers joined the search.
Her body was recovered by a scuba team after an eight-hour search in the Chalakudy river. Police said her mother confessed to the murder, admitting that she threw the child into the river.
Ernakulam Rural SP M Hemalatha on Tuesday, 20 May, confirmed the arrest of the child’s mother, under Section 101(3) of the BNS after the mother confessed to the crime.
CCTV footage showed the mother going to the river with the child and returning alone.
KV Manoj Kumar, Chairman of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, told South First that the commission will file a Suo motu case on Thursday, and seek a detailed report on the incident.
He added that the CWC had recently conducted a study on child abuse in Kerala, which revealed alarming findings.
According to the study, 80 percent of child abuse cases, particularly sexual abuse, involve toddlers and young children, and occur within their homes, often perpetrated by close relatives or family friends.
The remaining cases mostly involve adolescents, where abuse is linked to manipulative relationships disguised as love affairs.
“The commission will thoroughly follow up on this case,” Manoj Kumar assured.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
