I wasn’t allowed to see her body, mother of murdered girl alleges

The mother of the 10-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted and murdered near Coimbatore, alleged on Sunday (May 24, 2026) that her husband took the child’s body to his native place in Salem and cremated it without her consent or allowing her to see the mortal remains.

The woman, who spoke to mediapersons in Coimbatore in the evening, said she decided not to accept her daughter’s body until “justice is served”. However, it was released from the morgue in Coimbatore after her husband’s signature was obtained, she said.

Police action sought

“They did not show me the body and left ESI Hospital premises through the back gate. Though we tried to follow the ambulance to have a glimpse of the body, they left the spot. Though I went to his native place in Salem, they cremated the body without even showing me her face,” she alleged, demanding police action against her husband and relatives.

Responding to social media posts and allegations that she was under the influence of alcohol and was unconscious when the main accused, K. Karthi, 33, abducted her daughter from the neighbourhood at Pallapalayam near Sulur on the evening of May 21, the woman said she had consumed a soft drink that her husband had kept in the refrigerator. She suspected that alcohol was mixed in it.

“I drank the cold drink from the refrigerator… I lost consciousness after consuming it,” said the woman, adding that no one should spread slander against her in her current situation.

The woman also denied any acquaintance with Karthi as alleged by certain people on social media. She said she came to know of him only after his arrest, and no one allowed her to explain her side.

Karthi, who allegedly suffered fractures on the right arm and leg while attempting to escape from the police, was shifted to the prisoners’ ward from the intensive care unit of a hospital.

Relief handed over

Earlier, Minister for Transport A. Vijay Tamilan Parthiban and Minister for Backward Classes Welfare V. Sampath Kumar visited the girl’s native place in Mettur taluk of Salem district and handed over a relief assistance of ₹7 lakh to the family.

According to an official release, the relief was provided on behalf of the Department of Children Welfare and Special Services following directions from the Madras High Court. Collector K. Elambahavath, Superintendent of Police Gautam Goyal, and other officials were present.