A disabled six-year-old boy was killed after his mother threw him into a crocodile-infested river in India.
Savitri Kumar, 26, allegedly threw her son Vinod into a drain that flows into the Kali river in the western Indian state of Karnataka on Saturday.
According to the Times of India, she claims that her husband Ravi Kumar, 27, told her to “abandon the child” before the reptile attacked and killed Vinod.
According to police, the father had allegedly questioned the mother's decision to give birth to Vinod, who is deaf and mute.
“My husband is responsible,” she told officers, according to local media.
“He kept saying let my son die and that all he could do was eat.
“I tell him to leave him alone. How much pain can my son endure if my husband continues to say such things? Where can I go to share my suffering?”
The couple have another two-year-old son together, but were said to have frequently argued over their older son.
Police launched a search operation after receiving a report from a local resident, but the search was extremely difficult due to darkness.
According to the Times of India, Vinod's body was found on Sunday morning with bite marks and severe injuries.
Police launched a murder investigation and his parents were arrested.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out to determine the cause of Vinod's death.
A police officer told The Times of India: “We have registered a case under sections 109 (abetment to minor offence, where the act is unlawful and there is no specific provision for punishment) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code at Dandeli Rural Police Station and have arrested the couple involved in the incident.”
