THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Police have arrested Sreethu, the mother of the toddler who was murdered by her maternal uncle in Balaramapuram, on Saturday. Sreethu was taken into custody after the investigation found her complicit in the murder. Her brother, Harikumar, had earlier been arrested as the prime accused in the case.
Police said Sreethu was taken into custody on Friday evening after Harikumar gave a statement implicating her in the murder of two-year-old Devendu. Harikumar murdered the child with Sreethu’s knowledge to facilitate their illicit relationship, said the Balaramapuram police.
The incident pertaining to the case occurred on January 30, when Sreethu reported that her daughter had gone missing. Following her complaint, the police, along with residents, launched a search and found Devendu’s body in a well. Further investigation revealed that Harikumar had thrown the child into the well.
The case had reached the stage of filing the chargesheet when Harikumar changed his statement, claiming that he did not commit the crime and accused Sreethu. Following this, the police decided to conduct lie detector tests for both Harikumar and Sreethu. While Harikumar agreed, Sreethu refused to undergo the test. The child’s father, Sreejith, had earlier alleged that Sreethu was involved in the murder.
Meanwhile, Sreethu was arrested in a financial fraud case. She was serving the jail term for cheating a person of Rs 10 lakh by promising to secure a driver’s job in the Devaswom Board.
In another twist of events, the police found evidence of an illicit relationship between Sreethu and Harikumar. The police said Devendu was murdered with Sreethu’s knowledge, as the child was seen as an obstacle to their relationship, leading to her arrest.