Mother blames father after she hurled son into croc-infested river
- Savitri Kumar, 26, had a heated argument with the boy’s father, Ravi Kumar, 27
- He repeatedly ordered her to ‘throw the child away’, according to local media
- She has now claimed her husband is ‘responsible’ for their son’s death
A mother who threw her disabled six-year-old son into a crocodile-infested river where he was mauled to death by reptiles has now blamed her husband, claiming he goaded her into it.
Savitri Kumar, 32, from Uttara Kannada, a district in the western Indian state of Karnataka, had a heated argument with the boy’s father, Ravi Kumar, 27, who repeatedly ordered her to ‘throw the child away’, the Times of India reports.
Police say her husband allegedly questioned her decision to give birth to Vinod, who was born deaf and mute.
When the parents, who also have a two-year-old son, fought about their eldest again on Saturday evening, Savitri was ‘distressed’ and reportedly threw her son into a waste canal that flows into the Kali river, which is infested with crocodiles.
According to local media, she told police: ‘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 share my pain?’
Vinod (pictured) was born deaf and mute, and died after being thrown into the waste canal
Savitri Kumar, 32, (pictured) threw her son into a crocodile-infested river
Neighbours who witnessed this called the police, who deployed divers to search for the boy in the water
A mother has thrown her disabled six-year-old son into a crocodile-infested river where he has reportedly been mauled to death by reptiles (file image)
Neighbours who witnessed this called the police, who deployed divers to search for the boy in the water, but to no avail, as the darkness hindered their operations.
They returned on Sunday morning and found the child’s body, which showed bite marks all over.
The boy suffered severe injuries and was missing a hand, which a police officer suggested indicated that the boy was mauled to death by one or more crocodiles.
A post mortem has been ordered to determine the six-year-old’s cause of death.
The couple also has another son aged two and is said to frequently fight about their older son’s speech impediment.
Officers have launched an investigation into the incident.
A police officer telling local media that it was a ‘murder’ case and that both the husband and wife have been arrested.
