A woman in Kerala’s Palakkad district on Sunday confessed to the police that she murdered her six-year-old son as a “sacrifice to Allah”, The News Minute reported. Officials said the accused identified as Shahida has been arrested, according to NDTV.
The emergency control room in Palakkad received a call from Shahida between 3 am and 4 am on Sunday, narrating the incident. When police officials reached her house, she was waiting for them at the gate. Officials said they found her son in the bathroom with his throat slit. Her husband Sulaiman and two other children were sleeping in the adjacent room and discovered the murder only after the police reached the house, reports said.
According to the first information report filed at the Palakkad South station, Shahida informed the police that she murdered her child as a “sacrifice to Allah” in order to please him. She has been booked under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code and investigation in the case is underway.
“What is mentioned in the FIR is what the mother told the police control room,” Palakkad Superintendent of Police Viswanadh R told The News Minute. “Only after a thorough investigation can we conclude whether that was indeed the reason or whether there are other reasons.”
Shahida, who is pregnant with her fourth child, was a teacher at a nearby madrasa. Police officials at the crime scene told The News Minute that she suffered an injury on her hand. They said the inquiry in the matter would proceed without any preconceived notions.
Last month, a couple in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district murdered their daughters, believing that both of them can be revived in a few hours due to spiritual powers. The women’s parents, Valleru Purushottam Naidu and Padmaja, are both highly-educated.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!