THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The district crime branch probing the death of a Class VIII student of a prominent school in the city has ruled out murder. The fatality was caused by brain haemorrhage, which was not precipitated by external factors, it said. The student died on April 1 after she collapsed in the bathroom of her family’s police quarters on March 30.
“She suffered brain haemorrhage not from a fall or any force exerted to the head. She also had no pre-existing medical conditions. The bleeding in the brain was sudden and resulted in her death,” a source said. The autopsy revealed that the girl had been subjected to repeated sexual abuse. With the murder angle ruled out, the investigation is now focused on finding the perpetrator of the abuse.
“Since she used to travel to school and back in a police vehicle, along with other students from the police quarters, there is no chance of her being attacked by outsiders,” the source added. Moreover, she did not suffer from any mental trauma that’s usually noticed in victims of sexual abuse, and she fared well in her studies, according to teachers. A senior city police officer said investigators are also looking into whether the abuse was domestic in nature.
“We are examining all possibilities. The victim studied in an all-girls school. Also, her interaction with outsiders was minimal as she travelled in a police vehicle. So we are checking out whether anyone staying in the quarters was involved,” the officer said. The involvement of drug rackets, however, has been ruled out. The Museum police had initially registered a case, before it was handed over to the crime branch.