Woman immolates herself, two children

A widow and her two young children were found dead at her husband’s house at Thuravur near Angamaly on Wednesday around 2.30 p.m.

The police suspect the mother to have died by suicide through self-immolation using kerosene after setting her children ablaze in a room reportedly bolted from inside.

The deceased was identified as Anju, 30, and her daughter and son aged 7 and 31/2 years respectively. While the children died on the spot, the mother succumbed to her injuries at the Thrissur Medical College.

The victim’s husband, Anoop, had died after cardiac arrest a month ago. He was an autorickshaw driver and was the mainstay of the impoverished family. Anju never really recovered from that shock.

“The incident happened when Anju’s mother-in-law, Chellama, had gone to the neighbour’s house. While looking for her grandchildren on her return, she found the room locked and felt the smell of kerosene wafting from inside,” said the Angamaly police.

She alerted the neighbours, who broke the window only to find the room filled with smoke. They then broke the door open and saw the three with burn injuries. They were rushed to a private hospital at Angamaly in an ambulance of the Fire and Rescue Service where the children were pronounced dead.

Anju was then taken to the Thrissur Medical College where she died of her injuries shortly.