Palakkad, 29 Oct (H.S.): Police have arrested the male friend of a woman accused of drowning her two young children in a bathroom water tank at their rented house near Kozhinjampara in Palakkad district, marking a second arrest in the case.

The man, who lived near the family’s house, allegedly provided assistance to the children’s mother, Nivedya, in carrying out the killings, police said. His suspected involvement emerged during further questioning and evidence collection after investigators secured her custody.

The victims, Jennifer Juliet, five, and Robin Christopher, three, were the children of John Kumar and Nivedya, originally from Manalkkad in Pazhaniyarpalayam, Vadakarapathy.

The siblings were found in a water-filled cement tank inside the bathroom of their rented house at Koorankad in Menonpara around 10.30 a.m. on September 29.

Family members searching for the missing children discovered them in the tank. Both were rushed to hospital, but could not be saved.

The deaths were initially believed to have been an accidental drowning. Although the post-mortem examination confirmed drowning as the cause of death, suspicions surrounding the circumstances prompted police to intensify their investigation.

Concerns raised by the children’s paternal aunt played a crucial role in bringing the suspected crime to light.

During subsequent questioning, Nivedya allegedly admitted to deliberately submerging the children in the water, police said. She was arrested on September 30 and remanded in judicial custody.

Investigators had been monitoring several people in the neighbourhood after suspecting that she may have received assistance from another person.

Police said the latest arrest followed information obtained while reconstructing the circumstances of the deaths with Nivedya in custody. The arrested man’s identity and the precise nature of the assistance he allegedly provided were not immediately disclosed.

The investigation is continuing under the leadership of Kozhinjampara Inspector S. Rajeesh to establish the sequence of events.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman