Woman, partner get life in jail for killing her kids

Chennai: Principal district sessions court in Kancheepuram on Wednesday sentenced a woman and her partner to life imprisonment for murdering her two children in 2018. The court found Abirami, the mother of the deceased, and Meenakshi Sundaram, a biryani shop owner, guilty of conspiring to kill the children to continue their extramarital affair. The deceased were identified as Ajay, 7, and Karnika, 5Police said on August 31, 2018, Abirami, residing in Kundrathur with her husband Vijay and two children, gave milk laced with sleeping pills to her children and later smothered them with a pillow. Vijay, who worked at a private bank, had stayed overnight at his office. When he returned the next morning, he found the door locked. He eventually managed to enter the house and found the children unconscious. They were declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.Following Vijay's complaint, Kundrathur police launched an investigation. Forensic reports revealed the presence of sleeping pills and evidence of suffocation. Investigators tracked Abirami's movement and found that she had fled with Sundaram, who used to deliver food to her residence.A police officer involved in the case said, "Abirami developed a relationship with Sundaram and viewed her kids as an obstacle. She planned the murder and executed it with his help. Sundaram procured the sleeping pills."Using Sundaram's phone records, police located both suspects in Nagercoil and brought them back to Chennai. During the trial, Abirami requested leniency, citing the time already served and her responsibility to care for her elderly parents. However, the court rejected her plea. Judge Semmal, delivering the verdict on July 24, held both accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment without the possibility of early release.