Kumar and Dhanalakshmi hailing from Balakod in Dharmapuri district have four daughters and the eldest Kalyani (Name changed) is studying in the tenth standard at the Jakkusamudhra government high school. Kumar who owns and runs a minivan wanted to marry off Kalyani but the teenager refused stating that she wanted to study.

Kumar and Dhanalakshmi suspected that Kalyani was in love with the driver of their minivan and started torturing her even after she denied it vehemently. The parents went to the extent of burning her legs with a hot iron rod and keeping her under house arrest. They tried to fix her marriage to a relative who was much older than the girl and she apparently warned her parents the law against minor marriages.

On Tuesday the 5th of March Kumar asked Kalyani to go to school and her mother Dhanalakshmi packed a lunch in a box for her. In school, Kalyani's younger sister warned her not to eat the lunch as their mother had mixed pesticide in it planning to kill her. They took the matter to the teachers who found the food smelling of the poison and they all lodged a complaint at the Mahendra Mangalam police station.

The cops grilled Kumar and Dhanalakshmi who confessed to plotting to kill Kalyani as she refused to marry the groom of their choice. They have been put behind bars and the girl has been handed over to the Children Welfare Department and is staying at a safe home.