Harikumar a psycho, killed child in fit of rage: Police

T'puram: Balaramapuram police, which is investigating the murder of two-year-old Devendhu, said on Friday that Harikumar (25), the accused, is a psycho and short-tempered individual. The probe team stated that he killed the child due to his enmity with her mother, Sreethu (30), who had implored him not to maintain relationships with other women.
Harikumar told the police that he committed the murder in a fit of rage as he couldn't sleep the previous night due to the child's cries. The anger from being unable to sleep, combined with his enmity with Sreethu, led him to commit the crime impulsively, said the police.
He also told the police that he regretted committing the crime and acknowledged that killing his niece was a mistake. However, he did not respond adequately when the team questioned him to determine if others were involved or if there were any other motives behind the crime.
The probe team is not fully convinced by his statements and will expand the investigation in all directions to verify them. Harikumar also told the team that he has been taking medication for the past seven years for mental health issues, which will also be verified by the team.
Kottukalkonam native Devendhu had slept in her mother's room the previous night. Her grandmother Sreekala, mother Sreethu and father Sreejith were present in the same room. Around 5am, Sreethu woke up and left the sleeping child with Sreejith. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw that Harikumar's bed was burning and he claimed that someone had set fire to his bed. After some time, they realized that the child was missing and soon people and police were alerted.
People then launched a search operation in and around the locality but could not locate the child. Police later found that the net that covered the well behind the house was in a disarray and the fire force then searched inside the well and found her body. Police felt that someone in the family might have killed the child. During questioning, Harikumar admitted that he had killed Devendhu. Police could not find clues about the involvement of others in this crime.
Police questioned Karikkakom native Shanghumugham Devi Dasan (alias Pradeep Kumar) to get more clarity. Sreethu had earlier alleged that Devi Dasan had taken Rs 30 lakhs from her and not returned the sum. During questioning, he denied it and police allowed him to go.
"Harikumar had worked with Devi Dasan who later terminated his job cutting his excessive anger. He committed the crime. We need clarity on his motive. Investigation will continue and we will unearth the reason," said the police.