Punjab: Mother throws eight-year-old son into canal after repeated quarrel with husband; held

Hoshiarpur: A woman has been arrested by the Punjab police for allegedly throwing her eight-year-old son into a canal near Uchi Bassi village in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district after repeated quarrel with her husband over monetary issues, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Police arrested the boy's mother Reena Kumari, a native of Vadhaiyan village, on Tuesday and charged her under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

Inspector Bikramjit Singh, who is the Station House Officer of Dasuya Police Station, said that Reena Kumari was married to Ravi Kumar in 2012 and had a 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son. Her husband went to Maldives this year to earn his livelihood.

"She used to quarrel with her husband over the phone and threatened him to throw children in the canal if he did not send money. Even on the night of December 25, Reena Kumari was quarrelling with her husband on the phone for the same reason.

"Yesterday, Reena's Kumari's brother-in-law Raj Kumar came to know that she had taken her son Abhi with her to the Uchi Bassi canal.

Raj Kumar along with his father went in search of both the mother and the son.

When they reached near Uchi Bassi canal bridge they came to know from passers-by that a woman and a child were sitting on the bank of the canal near village Lamina.

"When both father and son reached the said spot, Reena Kumari allegedly threw her son into the canal and ran away from there," said the police official.

Later, she was arrested by the police.

Police said the boy is feared drowned in the canal and efforts were on to trace him.

Further, investigation in the case was underway, said Inspector Singh.