Tamil Nadu: Mother and son die after consuming poison fearing Covid

Tamil Nadu, Jan 10: A 23-year-old woman and her three-year-old son died after consuming poison allegedly due to the fear of being infected with catching Covid in Madurai of Tamil Nadu.

As many as five people in the family including the mother and brothers of the deceased woman consumed poison allegedly fearing the Covid-19 infection. The woman and her three-year-old child were found dead by police, while three of them survived.

According to a report, the mother Lakshmi was unable to cope with the loss of her husband Nagaraj. The husband, a daily wage worker had died of natural causes in December. The family is said to have been deeply affected by the death of Nagaraj.

The deceased, Jothika was separated from her husband and was living with her mother. Jothika reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 on January 8 and conveyed the same to her mother. The family is said to have consumed poison fearing the infection spreading amongst them.


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The neighbours alerted the police the next day who rushed three members of the family to a government hospital. Jothika and her son had died when the police arrived.

A case has been registered and an investigation is underway. The Tamil Nadu police suspect that the family feared contracting Covid and its consequences so they decided to end their life. Health officials have urged residents not to panic and seek medical help.