1 missed call, two weddings, a murder

CHENNAI: A 20-year-old man killed his 4-month-old baby boy to hide his marriage with his girlfriend from his parents. The murder was revealed two months after the incident.

Unbeknownst to his wife Vijayalakshmi (20), Varun of Karanaipuduchery near Urapkaakm had killed the baby and dumped the body in the Karanaipuduchery lakebed. He was arrested by the police on Friday.

Police said the couple’s relationship began with a missed call from Varun to Vijayalakshmi’s cell. Later, they connected through social media and fell in love.

When Vijayalakshmi’s parents came to know about Varun, they initially opposed the relationship but accepted it later when they realised she was pregnant.

In July last year, Vijayalakshmi gave birth to a baby boy and were staying with her parents. A simple wedding ceremony was organised in a temple in the locality.

In December 2022, Varun had several arguments with Vijayalakshmi’s father, after which they left the house with the baby. Varun decided to take Vijayalakshmi to his house in Guduvanchery but since his parents were unaware he was married and had a baby, Varun decided to introduce her as his female friend.

He convinced Vijayalakshmi to leave the baby with his friend Mahalakshmi who was also in Guduvanchery. He also managed to convince his parents about Vijayalakshmi, who accepted her as their daughter-in-law. They had to be married again in a temple.

After that, Vijayalakshmi began telling Varun to bring her son back and insisted he tell the truth to his parents. Since Varan would not give a direct answer, a few days ago, she went to Mahalakshmi’s house to pick up her son, but he wasn’t there.

Mahalakshmi told her that the baby had been in her house for only 3 days after which Varun had taken him away. Vijayalakshmi filed a complaint at the Manimangalam police station. During inquiry, Varun confessed to killing the baby and dumping his body in the lakebed.

On Friday, the police special team took Varun to the spot in Karanaipuduchery lake and retrieved the headless skeleton of the baby. Further investigations are on.