PATHANAMTHITTA: A day after the brutal assault and murder of a five-year-old Tamil Nadu girl by her stepfather sent shockwaves across the state, police officials probing the incident said on Tuesday there were multiple knife injuries on her head, chest and stomach, which caused her death. The child was also subjected to sexual assault, the officials said.
"We have registered a case against her stepfather under IPC 302 (murder), Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and the Juvenile Justice Act. The accused will soon be produced before the Konni Judicial First Class Magistrate," said Bineeshlal K V, inspector of police, Pathanamthitta.
The stepfather, who is reportedly addicted to drugs and alcohol, was apprehended on Monday. "The accused had tried to escape from the vehicle after attacking the policemen, but was overpowered and taken to the police station. However, he again managed to escape from the station around midnight. By 6am on Tuesday, we took him into custody from a spot near his rented house," said a police official.
TN girl’s death: Cops await detailed autopsy report
The autopsy was conducted in Kottayam Medical College Hospital, after which the child’s body was shifted to the general hospital morgue, said Pathanamthitta police chief R Nishanthini, and added they were waiting to get a detailed autopsy report.It was about a year ago that the victim’s mother, who hails from Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu, separated from her first husband. She had two children from that marriage, one of whom continued to stay with her former partner. She later started to live with the accused, a native of Sivakasi.
As the child’s grandmother has been living in a rented house in Pathanamthitta for the past eight years, the duo arrived here with the five-year-old about four months ago to stay with her. While both the women went out for work, the accused -- who did not have a job -- used to stay with the child in the rented house.