Fault in stars: Tamil Nadu mom kills 4-month-old son, held

A mother allegedly killed her four-month-old son after she was convinced that his fault in stars since his birth has affected her.

Dindigul: A 25-year-old woman was arrested by Dindigul Police after she allegedly threw her 4-month-old-son, Gokul, in river to ward off the fault in her son's stars, which she believed was impacting her life negatively. The incident came to light after Latha, (25), the suspect, resident of Rajapuram panchayat, reported her toddler as missing when she took a bath in Palar River on Wednesday morning.

She joined with her relatives and neighbours in the search which culminated with finding the lifeless body, from the bushes along the river bank. The family rushed to the taluk government hospital in Palani hoping to revive the child. However, the doctors declared the child dead on arrival.

Based on the information, the Rajapuram Police station began their probe into the incident. The suspicion needle fell on Latha as her claims during the probe were self-contradictory. Latha who initially presumed innocence admitted to throwing the child into the river. "I was having a bad time since she gave birth to Gokul, my second son," police quoted Latha saying.

"She was suffering from stomach cramps for sometime. The toddler was also not in the pink of health. He was suffering from wheezing since birth. Latha's husband Maheshwaran is away working Coimbatore district and he comes home twice a week. These things took a toll on Latha. She consulted an astrologer who told her that her son's fault in stars is affecting her," said a senior police official privy to the investigation.

She confessed to have murdered her son to ward off 'the bad time'. We have arrested her based on her confession, the official said.