KARAIKAL: The Karaikal district sessions court on Thursday sentenced a 42-year-old woman to life imprisonment for murdering a Class 8 student by mixing rat poison in a soft drink three years ago. The woman, Sahayarani Victoria, was found guilty of killing Bala Manikanda, a student of a private school in Karaikal town, on September 3, 2022.
According to the prosecution, Victoria, the mother of Manikanda’s classmate, confessed to the crime, saying she poisoned him because he outperformed her daughter in academics, which she claimed had caused her daughter mental distress. Public Prosecutor AVJ Selvamuthukumaran said Victoria purchased rat poison from a local shop and mixed it in a soft drink.
A day before the boy’s death, she handed the drink to the school security guard during the annual day rehearsal, saying it was sent by the boy’s mother.After consuming the drink, Manikanda complained of vomiting and other symptoms, and was taken to Karaikal Government Hospital.
When Manikandan’s parents and the school officials scanned through CCTV footage from the school campus, they identified Victoria handing over the drink to the security guard. Initially, doctors treated him for laxative poisoning after Victoria falsely claimed to have mixed laxatives in the drink.
The boy died the next day without responding to treatment. The case took a new turn when a shopkeeper approached the Karaikal Town Police, stating that Victoria had purchased rat poison from him after he recognised her from news reports. CCTV footage from nearby shops confirmed the purchase.Victoria was then arrested and lodged in Puducherry Women’s Prison.
Based on the evidence and witness statements, district judge R Mohan awarded the life sentence and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000.