Probe shows Beed woman pushed her son into well before jumping in herself after dispute with husband over cellphone

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The investigation into the deaths of a woman and her four-year-old son in Beed district has shown that she allegedly pushed the child into a well following frequent quarrels with her husband over a cellphone before ending her own life, police said on Tuesday.The incident came to light on Dec 31 last year when the bodies of Prajakta alias Rameshwar Darade (26) and her son, Vedant, were recovered from a well in Limbarui village under the Beed Rural police jurisdiction. The police had initially registered an accidental death case.A subsequent and detailed investigation, however, revealed that Prajakta had been repeatedly arguing with her husband, who had refused to buy her a cellphone. This domestic dispute allegedly caused emotional distress in Prajakta, prompting her to take the drastic step. "Under intense psychological strain, the woman first pushed her son into the well before jumping in herself. Both died due to drowning," an officer said, adding that the sequence was established after police recorded statements from family members, villagers, and examined the family's domestic situation.Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat said, "Our investigation showed that the woman was under considerable mental pressure due to frequent disputes over a cellphone."Following these findings, the Beed Rural police replaced the accidental death entry with a case of murder followed by suicide. "Further legal procedures are under way, with more statements being recorded to complete the case diary," another officer said. Villagers said the family lived a simple life and that no prior complaints regarding domestic disputes had been lodged with the police. The police said the investigation was ongoing to document all relevant circumstances leading up to the episode.