‘Mentally ill’ Gumla woman, with 2 minor kids, jumps into well, dies

Gumla: A 27-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide after jumping into a well along with her two minor children at Manatu village in Gumla district late on Wednesday. The woman was undergoing treatment for mental illness at Kanke for the past eight months, police said.The deceased have been identified as Paradeshni Kumari (27), son Ansh Oraon (5), and daughter Ashmani Kumari (4).Woman’s husband Jagannath Oraon said, “My wife had taken both the children to a well near our house for a bath. When they did not return for long, we started a search. I noticed a piece of cloth floating inside the well. A rescue attempt was launched with the help of villagers using ropes and other equipment.”“The body of the boy was spotted first. Later, the bodies of the woman and the girl were recovered,” he said.Officer-in-charge of Ghaghra police station Mohan Kumar Singh said, “The bodies were sent to the Gumla sadar hospital for postmortem. Preliminary investigation suggests that the woman jumped into the well with her children. She was mentally unstable and under treatment. Further probe is underway to ascertain the exact circumstances behind the incident.”