Devananda Death: Relatives, neighbours raise suspicion

The mother of Devananda, the seven-year-old girl who drowned in a lake near her home at Ilavoor here in the district alleged that she might have been kidnapped. Mother Dhanya said that Devananda had never gone past the lake and added that the seven-year-old never goes anywhere without informing her. Devananda’s father Pradeep demanded an efficient probe into the death of his daughter. Stating that the investigating officers have not explained anything to them, Pradeep added that they were waiting for the post-mortem report.Devananda’s grandfather Mohanan Pillai alleged that the child was kidnapped.

“It is said that Devananda walked through the path to the lake. That pathway is completely unfamiliar to her and she would never have gone through that path on her own,” said Mohanan Pillai. “Devananda had never been to the lake before. She has not been to the temple recently. The last time she went to the temple was through another road. Devananda has never gone out of the house without her mother or grandmother,” added Mohanan Pillai.

He also raised suspicion regarding the shawl that was found in the lake from where the girl’s body was retrieved. “Devananda was not wearing the shawl, which belonged to her mother, when she went missing,” clarified Mohanan Pillai.Devananda’s neighbours also alleged suspicion behind her death. Neighbours stated that as the lake was some distance away from the house, the girl would not have come there alone as she had never gone there before. They demanded further probe into how the child reached the lake.