A case in Kerala’s Kochi has taken an even darker turn after police revealed that a six-year-old girl, who was found dead with her father in January, had been sexually assaulted before her death. The disturbing details came to light on Saturday, nearly a month after the bodies were discovered at their rented house.
Police said the autopsy report revealed that the child had faced sexual abuse over the past one year. Following the autopsy report, police have included the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the case, which was earlier registered as an unnatural death, news agency PTI reported.
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On January 16, the girl was allegedly poisoned before her father died by suicide at the rented house here.
The child’s mother told officials that she had no knowledge of any abuse. She also informed them that there had been arguments over money between her and her husband on the day of the incident.
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The man had been working at a private firm but had lost his job some time ago. His wife was employed at a shopping mall in Kochi. Financial strain had reportedly caused tension between the couple, The Indian Express (IE) reported.
On the evening of January 15, while the woman was at work, her husband sent her a message saying, “I am going with my daughter”. When she returned home later, she found the house locked and assumed that he had stepped out with the child, IE report further mentioned.
As repeated phone calls went unanswered, she went to a relative’s house. The next morning, she came back with family members and broke open the door. They found the man hanging from the ceiling and the girl lying on the bed. Both were taken to the hospital but were declared dead on arrival.
An officer from the Elamakkara police station said statements from relatives and close acquaintances would be recorded soon. Police will also question teachers at the school where the child was studying.
The police have already begun a probe based on CCTV footage to check whether any persons had reached the house on the day the father and daughter were found dead, officials said.
(With PTI inputs)
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).