A 25-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly smothering her two children as they were an obstacle in her plan to marry her paramour in Raigad district of Maharashtra, police said on Wednesday. The local crime branch had launched an investigation after a girl, aged 5 years, and a boy (3) were found dead under mysterious circumstances last month.

"The children were found unconscious in Kihim village on March 31. They were rushed to the Alibaug Civil Hospital where they were declared dead," as per a release issued by Raigad Police.

The bodies of the children were sent to JJ Hospital in Mumbai for postmortem.

The investigation brought the alleged role of the accused Shital Pole, the mother of the children, to the fore.

According to police, Pole, who is originally from Pusad in Yawatmal district, was having an extra-marital affair with a man who she knew before her marriage.

"Her affair was the cause of frequent quarrels between her and her husband. Shital Pole prima facie smothered her children using a stole," police said.

The accused was arrested after a case was registered under section 302 (Punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

She was produced in the Raigad district court on Wednesday which remanded her in police custody for seven days.

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