In a significant development in the tragic death of two-year-old Devendu, the Thiruvananthapuram Rural police have finally arrested her mother, Sreethu. The arrest, made nearly nine months after the child’s body was discovered in a well in Balaramapuram on January 30, comes after a prolonged investigation that culminated in the Balaramapuram police confirming the 29-year-old mother’s direct involvement in the incident.
Initially, the child’s maternal uncle, Harikumar, was apprehended, and he confessed to the crime, claiming he threw Devendu into the well out of animosity towards Sreethu. However, investigators maintained focus on the mother, as forensic analysis of both Sreethu’s and Harikumar’s mobile phones revealed a suspicious relationship between them, suggesting Sreethu’s deeper complicity in the crime.
Sreethu, who had previously been arrested and released on bail for allegedly defrauding someone of ₹10 lakh with the promise of a job in the Devaswom Board, was apprehended in Palakkad and subsequently transferred to the Balaramapuram police station for questioning.
Police emphasize the critical need for custodial interrogation of the mother, given the mounting scientific evidence against her. Her consistent refusal to undergo a polygraph test, in stark contrast to Harikumar who submitted to a lie-detection test, significantly heightened police suspicions regarding her role.
This refusal to cooperate, combined with a DNA test confirming that Sreethu’s husband, Sreejith, was not the child’s biological father and had no connection to the case, solidified the police’s decision to arrest Sreethu.
Authorities believe that only a thorough and detailed interrogation will unveil the true motives behind this tragic murder. Initially, it was Sreethu herself who reported to her mother on January 30 that Devendu, who had been sleeping beside her, was missing.
Harikumar, the maternal uncle, was reportedly asleep in an adjacent room on the night of the incident. A subsequent search by local residents and family members tragically led to the discovery of the young girl’s body in the well of their rented residence.