2 weeks after child’s death; mom & lover held for murder

CHENNAI: Avadi City Police on Sunday arrested a 23-year-old woman and her lover, who beat a two and half-year-old child to death at their residence near Mangadu.

The couple tried to pass it off as a health issue, but police investigations revealed that the child was a victim of "battered child syndrome".

Battered child syndrome is the collection of injuries sustained by a child as a result of repeated beating or mistreatment.

Mangadu Police have arrested the accused, Lakshmi, and her lover, Manikandan (27), a cab driver.

Police investigations revealed that Lakshmi was married to one Selvaprakasam of Aminjikarai, and the couple had a two and half-year-old child, Sarveshwaran.

Lavanya got separated from her husband after the birth of their child and started living with Manikandan at a rented house in Gerugambakkam.

On June 5, Mangadu Police had received information about the death of a child at a private hospital in Porur. When they enquired, Lavanya told them that Sarveshwaran had a history of epileptic attacks since he was six months old, and he was being treated for it.

She further told police that, on May 20, the child had another episode and fell to the ground after which he was treated at a private hospital for a week.

After Sarveshwaran was brought home, he again had an epileptic attack on June 5 and they took him to the hospital where he was declared brought dead, according to Lavanya's statement to Mangadu Police.

The woman had told the police that Manikandan was her husband. However, Lavanya's husband Selvaprakasam approached the police raising suspicions about the child's death after which police sent the child's body for post-mortem.

"Investigation revealed multiple healed injuries in the body at various stages. Further probe brought to light that the stepfather and mother killed the baby. Both were arrested," accords to a police official.

They were produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.