KANNIYAKUMARI: Padmanabhapuram Additional District and Sessions Court on Thursday awarded life imprisonment to a woman who killed a four-year-old boy for his gold jewellery. Her husband, who helped hide the crime, was sentenced to three years in prison.
According to additional public prosecutor V M Jegadev, the court, presided over by Judge P Ramachandram, convicted Fathima (32) of Kadiyapattanam for the murder of Johan, a child who lived next door. Her husband, Sahaya Sarobin, was also convicted for aiding in the concealment of the crime.
The incident occurred on January 21, 2022, when Johan went missing while playing near his home in Kadiyapattanam. His mother, Sahaya Shilja, filed a complaint with Manavalakurichi police.
During the investigation, police uncovered that Fathima had murdered the child to steal his gold chain (5.980 grams), gold bracelet (3.30 grams), and a silver waist chain. The boy’s body, with his hands and legs tied, was found hidden inside an almirah in her house. Fathima and Sarobin were arrested, and charged under IPC sections 343 (wrongful confinement), 364 (kidnapping with intent to murder), 369 (kidnapping a child for theft), 302 (murder), 370 (trafficking), and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence).