Karaikal:

A Class 8 student in Puducherry’s Karaikal died after consuming a cold drink, allegedly poisoned by his classmates’ mother.

According to Bala Manikandan’s father Rajendran, a worker at a fair price shop in Karaikal, his son went to school for the annual rehearsal programme Saturday.

The boy returned home in the afternoon and started vomiting. He told his parents that he had been vomiting since he drank cold drink the school watchman gave him, said his father.

Bala was immediately admitted to Karaikal Government Hospital where he died during treatment.

The school told the parents that Bala drank cold drink sent by them. “We did not give our son any cold drink before he left school,” the father said.

The parents then enquired with the watchman Devadhas, who said a person claiming to be Bala Manikandan’s relative had given him the drink and asked him to pass it on to the boy.

The CCTV footage showed that the person who gave the drink was Sakaya Rani Victoria, whose children study in the same class.

Bala’s mother Malathi lodged a complaint at Karaikal city police station, alleging that Sakaya Rani Victoria poisoned the drink. She has been arrested.

The police are investigating if the woman allegedly poisoned the drink owing to competition among her children and Bala. A case has been registered.