Mother arrested for throwing disabled son into crocodile-infested canal in India

Woman says her husband considered child a burden and they frequently quarrelled about it

A woman has been arrested in southern India for allegedly throwing her disabled six-year-old son into a canal infested with crocodiles after an argument with her husband, police said.

The dismembered body of the boy, who had hearing and speech impairments, was recovered from the canal in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state on Sunday.

Savitri, 32, blamed her husband Ravi Kumar, 36, for forcing her to throw their child to his death, a local police officer told the Hindustan Times. Mr Kumar has also been arrested.

She said her husband considered their son a burden and they frequently quarrelled about it.

“After a quarrel over the same matter escalated on Saturday night, Savitri allegedly threw her son into a waste canal linked to the crocodile-infested Kali river around 9pm,” police inspector Krishna Barakeri told the paper.

Savitri said her husband tortured her mentally and told her to throw their child into the canal. “My husband is responsible. He used to keep saying let the son die and that all he does is eat. Let him be, I’d say. If my husband keeps saying that, how much torture can my son endure? Where will I go to share my pain,” she reportedly told police.

After the neighbours raised the alarm, police sent divers to find the boy. But the search operation had to wait until the next day as it had already turned dark.

The boy’s body was found in the jaws of a crocodile and was retrieved after the crocodile was captured, police said. The body had severe injuries, bite marks, and a missing right arm.

The woman, who worked as a house help, and her husband, a mason, were later arrested on murder charges, police said.