Kannur: The police interrogation revealed that Soumya, who hailed from a poor family, had undergone many ordeals in life. A 10th standard dropout, she engaged in various jobs to eke out a living, including as helper in laterite mines, assistant in operation theatres and collection agent of the cooperative credit society. Her husband, however, suspected her chastity and forced her to consume rat poison. He doubted that her one- and-a-half-year-old daughter, Keerthana, who died in 2012, was not his. After the death of Keerthana, he abandoned Soumaya and she had many illicit relationships later.
In early January, her elder daughter Aiswarya, 9, happened to see the woman with two other youths in a compromising position at night. Soumya beat up the girl and poisoned her to death. As nobody raised any suspicion, she poisoned her parents also to death so that she could lead a free life. Her mother Kamala, 65, died on March 7 and father Kunhikkannan, 80, on April 13. A week ago, Soumya also feigned nausea and got admitted to a hospital, but she was found fit. As the local people raised complaints, the body samples of the parents were examined which revealed the presence of aluminum phosphide.
The police on Wednesday bought the woman to her home at Padannakkara to collect evidence where she was jeered at by a crowd. The forensic reports of the chemical examination of the body samples of Aiswarya, exhumed on Monday, also proved the presence of aluminum phosphide, confirming that she was poisoned.
Thalassery circle inspector K.E. Premachandran told DC that Aiswarya had died after prolonged treatment. Hence, none raised any complaints. The body was buried and no case was registered. Soumya might have increased the quantity of poison mixed in food for her mother and father, resulting in their quick death, he said.
The confessions of Soumya came late at night on Tuesday after intense interrogation by the police from around 10 a.m. At the initial stage, she shouted at the team led by Mr Premachandran. By noon, Crime Branch DySP Raghuraman, Thalassery ASP Chaithra Teresa John and Kannur DySP P.P. Sadanandan also joined the interrogation.
