Overview

• The body of four-year-old Kalyani was recovered from the Chalakudy River on May 20, following an overnight search initiated after her mother reported her missing.
• Sandhya, the child’s mother, confessed to throwing her daughter into the river and has been arrested on murder charges; police are interrogating her to determine the motive.
• A post-mortem revealed chronic sexual abuse of the child, leading to the arrest of her paternal uncle under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
• The uncle confessed to repeatedly raping the child over a year, with evidence suggesting the most recent assault occurred shortly before her death.
• Police have secured a five-day custody of Sandhya for further investigation, as they examine potential links between the abuse and the alleged filicide.