Indian-origin woman charged with slitting son’s throat after Disneyland vacation
New York (PTI): An Indian-origin woman has been charged with allegedly murdering her 11-year-old son after a three-day vacation to Disneyland.
Saritha Ramaraju, 48, has been charged with one felony count of murder for slitting her son’s throat, killing the boy after they went on a vacation to Disneyland during a custody visit. She has also been charged with one felony enhancement of personal use of a weapon, a knife.
She faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life if convicted on all charges, a statement from the Office of the District Attorney, Orange County, California said Friday.
Ramaraju, who moved out of California after divorcing the boy’s father in 2018, was staying with her son at a motel in Santa Ana for a custody visit. During the visit, she bought three-day passes to Disneyland for herself and her son.
On March 19, the day Ramaraju was scheduled to check out of the motel and return the boy to his father, she called 911 at 9.12 am to report that she had killed her son and taken pills to kill herself.
Santa Ana police arrived at the motel and found the young boy dead on the bed in a room among Disneyland souvenirs. It appeared the boy had been dead for several hours before his mother called 911, the statement said. The boy was scheduled to be returned to his father that day.
A large kitchen knife was found inside the motel room which was purchased the day before. Ramaraju was released from the hospital on Thursday after ingesting the unknown substance and arrested on suspicion of stabbing the boy to death.
“The life of a child should not hang in the balance between two parents whose anger for each other outweighs their love for their child,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said.
“Anger makes you forget who you love and what you are responsible for doing. The safest place for a child should be in their parents’ arms. Instead of wrapping her arms around their son in love, she slit his throat and in the cruelest twist of fate removed him from the very world she brought him into.”
While the statement did not name the boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene, a report in NBC Los Angeles identified him as Yatin Ramaraju.
The report added that Saritha Ramaraju had been in a custody battle with her husband Prakash Raju since last year, when she had accused him of making medical and school decisions without her input and alleged he had substance abuse issues.
Prakash Raju had said in court papers that he was born and raised in Bengaluru, India, the NBC report said, adding that the couple had divorced in January 2018. Raju was granted the son’s custody and Saritha Ramaraju received visitation rights, according to court records.
The report, citing court papers filed in November, said that the mother was living in Fairfax, Virginia, and wanted her son to live with her.
Ramaraju had accused her former husband of a “history of substance abuse issues” and added he “gets very aggressive under the influence of alcohol, drugs and smoke.” She accused him of having “severe control issues” and said their son “is very scared to talk to mother as he'll get into trouble with dad.”
Raju had accused his ex-wife of “citing completely false and untrue abuse and substance abuse issues,” the report added.
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Pahalgam attack: US urges India, Pak to de-escalate tensions; backs Delhi's fight against terrorism
New Delhi, May 1 (PTI): The US has urged India and Pakistan to work together to de-escalate tensions over the Pahalgam terror attack as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to emphasise on maintaining "peace and security" in South Asia.
In his phone conversation with Sharif, the US Secretary of State called for Islamabad's cooperation in investigating the "unconscionable attack" that killed 26 people.
The "perpetrators, backers and planners" of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack must be brought to justice, Jaishankar said on X, hours after speaking to Rubio who reaffirmed Washington's support to India's fight against terrorism.
The US Secretary of State spoke to Sharif and Jaishankar on Wednesday amid speculation about India's possible military strikes against Pakistan in view of the cross border linkages to the dastardly terror attack.
A day after the Jaishankar-Rubio talks, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth dialled Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and conveyed that Washington supports New Delhi's "right to defend" itself and its fight against terrorism.
Singh told Hegseth that Pakistan has been "exposed" as a "rogue" state fuelling global terrorism, and "destabilising" the region, adding the world can no longer turn a "blind eye" to terrorism.
In his phone conversation with Jaishankar, Rubio expressed his "sorrow" for the lives lost in the "horrific" terror attack and reaffirmed the US' commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism, according to the US State Department.
"Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with US @SecRubio yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice," the external affairs minister said on X.
US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said: "The Secretary expressed his sorrow for the lives lost in the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, and reaffirmed the United States' commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism."
"He also encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions and maintain peace and security in South Asia," she said.
On Rubio's phone talks with Sharif, Bruce said the Secretary encouraged Pakistan to work with India to de-escalate "tensions, re-establish direct communications, and maintain peace and security in South Asia".
"The Secretary spoke of the need to condemn the terror attack on April 22 in Pahalgam. Both leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts of violence," she said.
"The secretary urged Pakistani officials' cooperation in investigating this unconscionable attack," Bruce added.
During the phone call, Sharif rejected "India's attempt to link Pakistan" to the Pahalgam attack and reiterated Islamabad's call for an impartial investigation into it, according to a Pakistani readout.
Citing "cross-border linkages" to the horrific attack, India has promised severe punishment to those involved in the strike.
In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the terror attack, according to government sources.
The prime minister affirmed that it is a national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism, they said after the meeting.
India on April 23 announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operation land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the attack.
In response, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airliners and suspended all trade with India, including through third countries.
Pakistan rejected India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and said any move to stop the flow of water will be seen as an "act of war".
