KOCHI: A mother and grandmother allegedly died by suicide after killing three children by giving them juice laced with poison at Vaduthala in Ernakulam. The deceased were Aswathi S Nair, 37, her mother Y Sreekumari, 59, and Aswathi’s children -Keerthivan, 14, Karnivan, 4, and Akshitha, 2.
The family, originally from Karode in Vilappilsala, Thiruvananthapuram, had been staying in a rented house at Green Garden Lane on Karshaka Road, Vaduthala. They were staying there to seek treatment for her son Keerthivan.
Police said the bodies were about two days old when they were discovered on Saturday. The incident came to light when the houseowner’s relative and his son visited the house for apersonal need. When they didn’t get any response, they entered the house using a duplicate key.
According to the locals, Aswathi was found hanging from a fan. Sreekumari was also found hanging, while the children were found dead in separate rooms. Police suspect the deaths occurred on Thursday night.
Since the doors and windows were closed and the air conditioner was on, no foul smell had emanated. Investigation revealed that Aswathi’s husband had died two months ago. The note mentions that she had been struggling with loneliness following her husband’s death and had faced issues with neighbours.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)