Husband and Mother Accused of Killing Two Children Before Suicide in Kerala Custody Case
Police say the custody deadline preceded the alleged poisoning of two children and the suicide of the accused in the Kannur district.
In a tragic incident stemming from a bitter custody dispute, a 36-year-old man, Kaladharan KT, and his 56-year-old mother, Usha KT, allegedly poisoned their two young children—Hima (6) and Kannan (2)—before taking their own lives at their home in Ramanthali village, Payyannur, on December 22, 2025. The bodies of all four were discovered late Monday night, shocking the local community and prompting an immediate police investigation.
According to preliminary findings, the children were administered a lethal mixture of pesticide in milk, with a bottle containing the poisoned liquid recovered from the room. Postmortem examinations confirmed that the children died due to poisoning. Police believe that shortly after, Kaladharan and Usha consumed poison themselves and then died by hanging. An alleged suicide note was found at the scene, though its contents have not been publicly disclosed as investigations continue.
The deaths appear linked to a long-standing marital dispute between Kaladharan and his estranged wife, Nayanthara. The couple had been living separately, and following Nayanthara's efforts to regain custody of the children, a court had directed Kaladharan to hand them over. Police had contacted him the previous night to facilitate the transfer, creating an imminent deadline that investigators suspect triggered the desperate act. The family had been under pressure from the ongoing legal battle over the children's custody.
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Kerala Police have registered a case of unnatural death and are probing all angles, including the circumstances leading to the extreme decision. The bodies were handed over to relatives after the postmortem on Tuesday. The incident has once again highlighted the severe emotional and psychological toll of prolonged family disputes and custody battles, particularly when children become caught in the middle.
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