The Venjaramood police on Friday recorded the arrest of the toddler’s mother for allegedly murdering the child at their house near Vamanapuram a day ago.
Police have arrested Aswathi for allegedly murdering her daughter, one-year-old Pavithra, in Kanichoda. The woman allegedly confessed to strangling the child.
The child was found dead at her mother’s house in Kanichode. The incident came to light when the child’s grandmother returned home from her work under MGNREGS. While she initially believed the baby was asleep, she panicked when the baby didn’t respond to her touch. The child was later brought dead to a nearby hospital.
The presence of marks on the toddler’s neck shifted attention to the possibility of murder. Aswathi soon allegedly confessed to the crime. An autopsy report later confirmed death as a result of strangulation.
According to the police, Aswathi is known to have struggled with postpartum depression since the birth of her second child and was increasingly withdrawn. Police said Aswathi’s obsessive fear that the child had autism may have been the primary motive for the crime.
Despite a medical check-up at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram two weeks ago that confirmed the child was healthy and showed no signs of illness, Aswathi was not convinced, police added.
Aswathi and her husband Subhash also have an eight-year-old child.
Published – 13 March 2026 21:23 IST
