VILLUPURAM : A 42-year-old farmer pushed his three children into a well following an argument with his second wife, near P Konalavadi in Ulundurpet on Wednesday night. While the body of two of them were fished out on Thursday morning, the farmer’s six-year-old son survived and was rushed to the hospital.
Police sources said the farmer, Yaerivaayan, separated from his first wife Chitra, a resident of Somasipalayam village, five years ago. Their two children - Priya (10) and Veeramuthu (6) - were studying in a government residential school at Thirunavalur. Yaerivaayan later got married to one Murugaiyee and the couple had two children - Veeramani (5) and a 10-month-old baby boy. However, Yaerivaayan continued to visit Priya and Veeramuthu at the hostel and used to bring them home. On Monday, he brought the two to his house as usual.
On Wednesday night, Yaerivayan, who came home drunk, had a tiff with Murugaiyee. After some time, he took his first wife’s children on his bike and pushed them into a nearby farm well and returned home. Assuming that he had left the children with their mother, Murugaiyee did not ask him about them.
However, in the wee hours of Thursday, when Murugaiyee was fast asleep, Yaerivayan took Veeramani to the farm well, threw him inside and fled. Veeramuthu, who knew swimming, climbed to safety after getting hold of an iron rod inside the well. The next morning, he cried out for help following which the villagers jumped into the well and rescued him. He was then rushed to the Government Ulundurpet Hospital. However, the other two kids could not be saved. The villagers then alerted the Ulundurpet police and Fire and Rescue Service personnel, who retrieved the bodies of Veeramani and Priya after a long search operation.
Meanwhile, police officials found Yaerivayan’s two-wheeler abandoned near a lake about one-and-a-half kilometres away from the spot. Police suspect that he could have committed suicide by jumping into the lake. Police have launched a search for his body in the lake. A case has been registered and further investigation is on.