CHENNAI: A man and his wife have been arrested under the charges of abetment to suicide after his 16-year-old daughter allegedly killed herself at their house in Otteri on Thursday evening.
According to police, A Nandhini, a Class 12 student at a government school in Madhavaram, had been living with her father Amarnath (45), after her parents got separated more than 10 years ago. In 2015, Amarnath married A Usha (40), who, over the years, allegedly physically assaulted Nandhini and also made her take leave from school to do household chores. Despite Nandhini’s repeated complaints to Amarnath, he did not intervene, police said.
“After coming back from school on Thursday evening, Nandhini did not step out of the house. Neighbours, who usually notice the girl going out every evening in connection with household work, grew suspicious and knocked at the door.
However, Usha opened the door, and when asked, told them that Nandhini was lying unconscious in her room. The neighbours alerted Nandhini’s cousin, who arrived at the house and rushed the girl to a government hospital in Periyar Nagar where doctors declared her dead,” a police source said.
Upon seeing injuries on Nandhini’s neck, her relatives alleged that Usha had strangled her to death. Following an inquiry based on a complaint, Amarnath and Usha were arrested, and sent to judicial remand on Friday.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)