VIRUDHUNAGAR: A quack has been arrested for allegedly causing the death of a six-year-old boy in Rajapalayam. She was later remanded after being produced in court on Monday. The accused was identified as Agnest Cetharin (47), who runs a clinic from her house.
According to sources, the boy's father Maheswaran (39) from Malayadipatti in Rajapalayam North works in an iron workshop. He had two children, Yuvasree (10) and Kavi Devanathan (6). His wife had passed away three years ago.
Devanathan had a fever for two days and on Friday night, his father took him to Agnest Cetharin, who allegedly administered an injection. However, since the fever did not subside, the family took the boy to another clinic, where he was again administered an injection.
Half an hour after they reached home, the boy fainted and was rushed to the Rajapalayam Government Hospital. The doctors at the hospital, after an examination, declared him dead.
On hearing the news, the man's relatives thronged the hospital and staged a protest. After peace talks, the body was sent to the Virudhunagar Government Hospital for a postmortem.
Quoting sources from the health department the police said, the boy developed hematoma after the injection by Agnest Cetharin which caused a septic shock. "It takes a day or two for the patient to show symptoms and by that time it had spread to the boy's brain and intestine," said the police.
However, health department officials said the exact reason can be ascertained only after the postmortem result. Agnest Cetharin was booked under Medical Council Act and remanded on Monday. A search was conducted in her clinic and a probe is on.