Woman arrested for murder of toddler, body found in washing machine

Madurai: Radhapuram police in Tirunelveli district have arrested a 40-year-old woman on charges of murdering her neighbour's three-year-old son, whose body was found hidden in a washing machine. According to police, the suspect, Thangammal, had a history of strained relations with the boy's family and was reportedly mentally unstable after the recent loss of her son.

The victim, Sanjay, was playing near his home in Athukurichi village on Monday morning when his mother, Ramya, realized he was missing as she prepared to take him to anganwadi. The boy's father, Vignesh, is a construction worker. After searching the area, the family contacted Radhapuram police.

Vignesh suspected their neighbour, Thangammal, might be involved. Acting on his tip, police searched her house and discovered Sanjay's body wrapped in a sack and stuffed inside a washing machine. The body was sent to Asaripallam Government Medical College Hospital in Kanyakumari for a postmortem.

Senior police officials, including district SP N Silambarasan and DSP R Yogesh Kumar, arrived at the scene. Thangammal was taken into custody and is being interrogated. Police are also probing whether others were involved. Thangammal had blamed Vignesh's family for her son's death in a road accident, which fuelled her enmity towards them. Further investigation is on.



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