UTTARA KANNADA, INDIA – A mother in India is facing accusations after allegedly throwing her six-year-old son, who was born deaf and mute, into a crocodile-inhabited river, resulting in his death. The woman, 32-year-old Savitri Kumar, is blaming her husband for the incident, saying he incited her to commit the fatal act.
Savitri and her husband, 27-year-old Ravi Kumar, were from Uttara Kannada in the western Indian state of Karnataka. They reportedly engaged in an intense argument about their son Vinod, during which Ravi urged Savitri to “throw the child away.”
In a conversation with police, Savitri claimed that Ravi frequently criticized her choice to give birth to Vinod. On a recent Saturday evening, the couple argued about their firstborn child again. Distressed, Savitri allegedly tossed the boy into a waste canal that leads to the crocodile-ridden Kali River.
Speaking to local media, Savitri blamed her husband, stating that he constantly wished for their son’s death due to his condition. The frequent negative comments, Savitri said, inflicted emotional torment on both her and her son.
Upon witnessing the incident, neighbors called the police, who promptly initiated a search for the boy. The search was hampered by darkness, however, and rescuers had to resume the mission on Sunday morning. They found the child’s corpse bearing multiple bite marks and missing a hand, suggestive of an attack by one or more crocodiles.
Authorities have ordered a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death. The couple has another son, a two-year-old, and they reportedly quarreled frequently over their eldest child’s disabilities.
A police investigation is underway, with a local officer revealing both the mother and father have been taken into custody in connection with what is now a murder case.