A Kerala woman has been arrested for helping dump her eight-month-old daughter's body in a marsh after a man killed the infant for crying at night in 2023. Police are searching for the man and his brother, who allegedly helped dispose of the body.
Nearly three years after the incident, police have arrested the child’s mother, Manju, 38, the third accused in the case. (Representative image)
Pathanamthitta,Oct 22, 2026 11:30 IST
An eight-month-old girl was killed after a man lost his temper when she cried at night, and her body was dumped in a marsh in Keralam’s Pathanamthitta district in August 2023, police said.
Nearly three years after the incident, police have arrested the child’s mother, Manju, 38, the third accused in the case.
A special investigation team led by Thiruvalla Deputy Superintendent of Police P R Santhosh arrested her following a prolonged probe, officials said on Wednesday.
The infant’s body was found in a grass-covered marsh at Valanjavattom, within the Pulikeezh police station limits, around 6 pm on August 12, 2023.
According to police, Manju had left her husband, Esakki, following a dispute in 2023 and travelled to Alappuzha with her daughter. While she was sitting at a shop in Kalarkode, a man named Sivan, described by police as a nomad, approached her and offered to look after them.
Manju then went with Sivan to Changanassery, where they stayed with the baby on a shop verandah.
One night in August 2023, the baby began crying while asleep. Sivan lost his temper and pressed the child’s neck, killing her, police said.
To dispose of the body, Sivan and Manju called his younger brother, Shakthi. The three then transported the body on a scooter brought by Shakthi and dumped it in the marsh at Valanjavattom before leaving the spot.
The case came to light after Manju returned to her colony in Palakkad without the child. She lived at Chemmanathodu Scheduled Tribe Colony near Meenkara Dam, under the Meenakshipuram police station limits, where she also worked as a colony promoter.
When the local colony promoter questioned her about the missing baby, Manju failed to provide a clear explanation. The promoter then informed Meenakshipuram police, who questioned her and uncovered details of the child’s death.
During questioning at the Meenakshipuram police station, Manju reportedly confessed to the crime. A special police team later took her into custody and brought her to the Pulikeezh police station for further questioning.
Police have launched an intensive search for Sivan and Shakthi, the first and second accused in the case, respectively, under the direction of Pathanamthitta District Police Chief R Anand, IPS.
Manju was produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
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