A 30-year-old woman V. Vijayalakshmi, a widow, was arrested on Sunday in Thanjavur on charges of killing her seven-year-old daughter and throwing the body in a river. Along with Vijayalakshmi, her distant relative R. Vetrivel (36) has also been arrested by the Thanjavur East Police on the same charges.
Police sources said after her husband's death, Vijayalakshmi - of Gandharavakottai in Pudukottai district - came to Thanjavur with her children Vidya (7) and Vignesh (4). The woman is alleged to have developed intimacy with Vetrivel who resided in Thanjavur. Vetrivel - an alcoholic - is said to have frequently visited Vijayalakshmi in her house. Sources said Vetrivel under the influence of alcohol visited Vijayalakshmi's house in the late hours on Saturday and allegedly made advances. However, Vijayalakshmi had avoided him purportedly because her daughter was awake.
Irked over this, Vetrivel reportedly assaulted Vijayalakshmi. On hearing her mother’s scream, Vidya reportedly tried to intervene. She was allegedly assaulted by Vetrivel and pushed to the ground. The minor girl developed a seizure following the assault and was rushed to the hospital where she was declared brought dead. Vetrivel and Vijayalakshmi thereafter allegedly tried to bury the body in a burial ground but could not carry out the act as there was public movement. Later, they carried the body and threw it in a river. The entire crime came to light after a local resident alerted the police. Vijayalakshmi and Vetrivel reportedly confessed to their crime while being inquired. A search has been launched by fire fighters to retrieve the body of the girl.
