Disabled boy 'mauled to death by crocodiles after being thrown into the river by mother', as police launch murder probe
7 May 2024, 12:52
A disabled boy has been mauled to death by crocodiles after his mother threw him into a river in India.
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The boy's father is said to have demanded that the mother throw the six-year-old into the river in southern India because he was mute.
Police are investigating the boy's death as a murder.
The incident took place in the district of Uttara Kanada in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
Mother Savitri Kumar, 26, had a row with the boy's 27-year-old father Ravi Kumar before throwing their son in the river, according to the Times of India.
The father had been upset for a long time about the boy being born without the power of speech, and had often suggested to Ms Kumar that she "throw him away".
The parents argued again on Saturday night, and as a result Ms Kumar threw the boy into a waste canal that flows into the crocodile-infested river.
Horrified neighbours called the police who brought in divers to pull the boy out - but it was too dark and they could not find him.
Coming back on Sunday morning, they found the boy was dead, with bite marks all over and missing one hand.
Officers have launched a postmortem to work out the cause of death, but officers think the crocodile killed him.
Police have also begun a murder investigation, and arrested both the mother and father.
The couple also have a two-year-old son.
