TN: Unable to afford treatment, woman throws toddler in well, kills self

Chennai: A 32-year-old woman, on Wednesday, threw her six-month-old son into a well and jumped to death after she was unable to pay for her child's treatment, who was suffering from suspected dengue.

The incident took place in Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district, a report in Hindustan Times read.

P Anbukodi along with her husband Perisaswamy, a barber, of Belukurichi village took their child to a private hospital in Salem on Monday morning after he fell ill.

Following some tests recommended by doctors, the hospital confirmed that he was suffering from dengue and presented a bill of Rs 5,000 per day, the report added.

However, since the couple could not afford the treatment, they returned home with their son on Monday, around 11:00 pm.

Around 3:30 am, Perisaswamy found his wife and child missing and it was only in the morning that their neighbours found the bodies in a well, near their home, police said.

The report further said that the fire and rescue department personnel retrieved the bodies and they have been sent for post-mortem to Rasipuram government hospital.

Dengue cases in the Tamil Nadu have reached the 7,000 mark after 404 cases were recorded in the month of August as per National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme records. In spite of such large numbers, the public remains unaware of its prevalence.