Moved by the plight of four children — aged between 2 and 7 — who were left with no support after their mother was murdered allegedly by their father near Pettavaithalai a few days ago, the Tiruchi police have put them in a safe shelter.
The children — two girls and two boys — were handed over to Sowbhagaya Home in the city through the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Wednesday.
The licensed home, approved by the Department of Social Defence , which has over 200 orphans under its care, will take care of the four minors until they attain the age of 18.
The children’s mother, R.Kavitha (39), died after her husband E. Rajendran (42) allegedly banged her head against the wall in their home at Gandhipuram in the early hours of Sunday following a family dispute. Rajendran, a mason, escaped from the spot leaving the children in the lurch. He had closed the door before fleeing.
Unaware of their mother’s death, the children had remained with the body for several hours. It was only after the neighbours came calling that the crime had come to light. “As the grandmother of the minors was not economically sound to take care of them, we decided to get in touch with the CWC to shelter them in a safe place where their daily needs and education would be taken care of ,” said Superintendent of Police S. Rajeswari.
The children were brought to Pettavaithalai police station and handed over to the CWC in the presence of its chairman Indira Gandhi. The home runs a school where the children would be provided education. Rajendran is reported to be absconding and a team has gone in search of him to Kancheepuram.
