RAJKOT: A woman was booked for allegedly beating her 12-year-old son to death with an iron rod for stealing valuable items from a nearby shop on Saturday, police said.

Shakina Mohmmad Taj Ansari (40), a native of Kolkata, was arrested after she beat her son, Salim, to death around Kuvadava road area in outskirts of the city, Kuvadava area in charge inspector SR Varu said.

The incident took place on Saturday after Shakina came to know that Salim had stolen some valuables from a nearby shop, Varu said.

A vendor saw Shakina indulging in some suspicious act while she was trying to dispose the body in a suitcase and informed the police, he said, adding, the cops nabbed Shakina red-handed.

Police said Shakina came to Rajkot from Kolkata nine years ago after her husband's death and has been since then living inside the Rajkot civil hospital premises with her three sons — Arif (14), Salim (12) and Samim (10).

During interrogation, Shakina confessed to her crime and said she was trying to dispose the body by bundling it in a suitcase.

She was booked under IPC section 302 (murder) and further investigation is on to verify her statement, he added.