Kochi: The three-year-old girl who was allegedly murdered by her mother by throwing her into the Chalakudy river, was laid to rest on Tuesday as a grief-stricken hometown bid farewell to the little one.

The funeral was held at a crematorium by 5 pm after the mortal remains were kept for public viewing at her house in Mattakkara near Chottanikkara. Hundreds of people paid final respects to the child even as her mother’s arrest was recorded at the Chengamanad police station, some 40 km away.

Mattakkara was all tearful as mourners, including relatives and neighbours, could not control their emotions at the sight of the child's lifeless body, whom many remembered as a cheerful little girl. The child's father, who maintained a stoic attitude throughout the day, broke down to tears as he planted a final kiss on his daughter's forehead. The couple has a school-going son also. 

The three-year-old girl was taken by her mother to her house at Kurumassery, Moozhikulam near Nedumbassery on Monday afternoon. A missing complaint was registered with the police by the father's family after they came to know that the girl was not with the mother when she reached her home. The police investigation revealed that the woman allegedly threw her daughter into the Chalakudy river before heading home from Moozhikulam. 

The police recorded the mother's arrest in the afternoon after she confessed to murdering the child. The woman has been charged with murder under Section 101 (3) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Ernakulam Rural SP M Hemalatha said that the woman has confessed to committing the crime, but police were awaiting more clarity on the motive behind the murder.