In a horrifying incident, a Class 8 schoolboy at Karaikal in Puducherry died after consuming a cold drink, allegedly poisoned by his classmate’s mother as she was envious that the boy was the topper in the class ahead of her daughter.

The Karaikal police chief said that the woman was envious and could not accept the fact that the 13-year-old boy always beat her daughter in class.

According to Bala Manikandan’s father Rajendran, the boy returned home from school in the afternoon on Saturday and started vomiting. He told his parents that he had been vomiting after he consumed a cold drink given to him by the school watchman.

Bala was immediately admitted to Karaikal Government Hospital where he died during treatment.

The school told the parents that the cold drink was sent by them for Bala. However, the parents said that they had not given any cold drink to the boy..

The parents then enquired with the watchman Devadhas, who said a woman claiming to be Bala Manikandan’s mother had given him the drink and asked him to pass it on to the boy who was practicing for a cultural event.

CCTV footage at the school gate showed that the person who gave the drink was Sakaya Rani Victoria, whose daughter studies in the same class.

A police case has been registered against Sakaya Rani Victoria for allegedly murdering the boy with a poisoned drink. She has been arrested.

The police are investigating if the woman allegedly poisoned the drink owing to competition between her daughter and Bala.