A Tamil Nadu woman allegedly killed her year-old granddaughter last week over suspicions her daughter-in-law was having an affair. The incident took place in the Ariyalur district. The 60-year-old accused, Viruthambal, reportedly suspected her granddaughter was born out of an illicit affair. Viruthambal’s son, Raja, 25, is married to Sandhya, 21, and the victim, Krithika, was their second child, according to India Today.
The mother-in-law reportedly accused Sandhya of having an extra-marital affair and said the child was born out of that relationship since Raja was in Singapore, according to DT Next.
On Friday, Sandhya had left her two children at home to go to a milk booth nearby. When she returned, she found Krithika unconscious. The child was rushed to a hospital where she was declared brought dead, India Today reported. The Tamil Nadu Police detained Viruthambal based on Sandhya's complaint. Following hours of questioning, she finally confessed to killing her granddaughter, the report said. She told the police that the child had thrown sand at her brother, which is when, in a fit of rage, she force-fed the child sand. This reportedly resulted in her death.
Viruthambal was subsequently arrested and presented before a court, which sent her to judicial remand, India Today reported.
Grandfather Kills Infant 'On Astrologer Advice'
Last month, a man was booked for allegedly killing his 38-day-old grandson in the same district, according to an Onmanorama report. The report said the boy was drowned in a barrel of water.
According to the report, the infant was born in the month of Chaitra based on the Hindu calendar. He was murdered over the superstitious belief that the month was inauspicious.
The grandfather, Veeramuthu, confessed to the crime and said that he followed the instructions of an astrologer. He lodged a complaint with the police himself and demanded a thorough investigation, which led to a search for the astrologer.