Koyilandi: The police have cracked the suspicious death of a teenage boy at Arikulam here soon after consuming ice cream gifted by a relative.

Days after the death of Ahmed Hassan Rifayi (12) after having ice-cream a police investigation found he was indeed a victim of poisoning and took his aunt into custody. The cops arrested Thahira (34) for the gruesome murder.

The boy felt uncomfortable soon after having ice-cream last Sunday and began to vomit continuously. He was rushed to the hospital after his condition worsened, however, he died at the private hospital the next day.

A high-level police probe was instituted into the incident with the cops suspicious of the possibility of a murder from Day-1. Officials from the Health, Food Safety, and Forensic wings, besides the police, conducted detailed examinations and collected samples for testing.

The ice cream that Ahmed had was bought from a supermarket in Arikulam. The shop was closed temporarily following the death of the child. The ice cream samples collected from here, too, were sent for laboratory testing.

Autopsy report proves decisive
However, the twist came following the receipt of the autopsy report, which found the presence of ammonium phosphorous in Ahmed's body. The Koyilandy police then initiated a detailed probe and collected the statements of many people, including Ahmed's paternal aunt. It was then that the shocking crime came to light.

The accused allegedly mixed poison in the ice cream family pack and handed over the same to the victim’s house. Ahmed’s mother and two other siblings escaped since they were not present in the house at that time. Ahmed consumed the ice cream and began to vomit.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) R Hariprasad arrested Tahira in the presence of a panchayat member. The investigation team led by Rural District Police Chief R Karuppaswamy also included Inspector K C Subash Babu and Sub-Inspector V Aneesh besides Hariprasad.  

Boy's mother was the target, confesses accused
In her statement to police, the accused confessed to the crime and revealed that she planned to kill the boy's mother over a family dispute. It is reported that the boy took the poison-laced ice cream which Thahira kept in the fridge and consumed it when his mother along with his two siblings went to her house in Perambra.