KOCHI: The investigation into the mysterious deaths of a 33-year-old man and his six-year-old daughter in Elamakkara took a dramatic turn on Saturday as Kochi city police registered a Pocso case, following shocking revelations in the postmortem report that the girl had been sexually assaulted.
While the initial autopsy report indicated the girl died of poisoning, the detailed report revealed that she had been subjected to sexual assault for nearly a year and was allegedly assaulted again hours before her death, said a source with the Elamakkara police station. The girl’s mother stated that she was unaware of any sexual abuse, the officer added.
“Acting swiftly on these findings, we have altered the FIR initially registered for an unnatural death to include charges under the Pocso Act. The probe has been intensified to identify the perpetrator, and the father is also under suspicion,” said Shahansha K S, deputy commissioner, Kochi city police.The two were found dead in their rented house on January 16, with the girl lying on a bed and her father hanging.
A police source said there were financial issues between the deceased man and his wife.
“He had allegedly taken loans through private lending apps. On the day of the incident, the couple reportedly had a verbal dispute over these matters. When his wife returned home from work around 11 pm, she found the door closed and received no response. She alerted relatives and they later found the man and child dead inside the house,” the officer said.
The man had previously worked as a sales executive with a private firm, while his wife is employed at a shopping mall. While he belonged to Cherthala, his wife is from Ernakulam and they were collegemates. The girl was their only child, who was studying at a school in Elamakkara, the police said.
Murky details
The initial autopsy report indicated the girl died of poisoning
The detailed report revealed that she had been subjected to sexual assault for nearly a year and was allegedly assaulted again hours before her death