The mystery behind the three-year-old girl, who was found with cigarette burns all over her body, unravelled on Wednesday, with Hanumanthu, the man who handed the child to his sister-in-law Chikkathayamma, being arrested.
The girl, Hemavathi, is the daughter of Hanumanthu’s live-in partner Kavitha from her earlier marriage to Puttaswamy from Madhurai village near Magadi. The duo has two children Akash (5) and Hemavathi.
Kavitha is separated from her husband, but she had a live-in relationship with a Hanumanthu, a mason from Vaddara colony in Kirugavalu village, Malavalli taluk.
As neither of them wanted the children, Kavitha reportedly tortured both of them. They handed over Akash to Hanumanthu’s wife Yellamma and Hemavathi to Chikkathayamma and her husband Raju, who are childless.
Police arrested both Kavitha and Hanumanthu at Talaghattapura in Kanakapura taluk, where she works at a garment factory. SP Bhushan Gulabrao Borase said both the accused will be produced before the court.
Borase said: “During investigation we found that Kavitha used to torture her kids and did not want to keep them.’’ Police have registered a case against Kavitha under IPC section 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years by parents) and Hanumanthu under IPC section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means).
He said that Kavitha’s son Akash will be handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).