Madurai: A 23-year-old woman and her three-year-old son from Kalmedu in Madurai died on Sunday after they consumed poison along with her mother and two brothers, allegedly due to fear of Covid-19. While three of them survived, the woman and her three-year-old child were found dead by police.
According to a report published in The Times of India, the mother Lakshmi was unable to cope with the loss of her husband Nagaraj. The husband, a daily wage worker had died of natural causes in December. The family is said to have been deeply affected by the death of Nagaraj.
The deceased, Jothika was separated from her husband and was living with her mother. Jothika reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 on January 8 and conveyed the same to her mother.
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Silaiman police have registered a case under Section 174 CrPC and are investigating further. The bodies of the deceased were sent for postmortem to GRH.
Police said preliminary investigation showed that the family might have been driven to the extreme step by fear of contracting Covid-19 and its consequences.
Health officials have urged the public not to panic in such circumstances as all necessary treatment would be provided free of cost at government facilities.
(With inputs from agencies)
