A five-year-old girl died allegedly after being subjected to a brutal assault by her stepfather in Kumbazha here on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as the daughter of a couple from Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu.
The victim along with her mother and stepfather, a native of Sivakasi, had been staying with her grandmother, a lottery seller, for the past four months. The accused had allegedly assaulted the girl on earlier occasions, following arguments with her mother.
“The girl was found lying unconscious at her house when her mother returned home on Monday afternoon. At the same time, her step-father was lying in an inebriated condition beside the girl. The girl was soon rushed to the Pathanamthitta General Hospital where she was declared brought dead,” said an official.
On an alert, a police team reached the spot and collected the mother’s statement and based on this, the accused was taken into custody. After being taken into custody, the accused attacked the policemen and tried to flee. The police, however, overpowered him eventually and shifted him to the police station.
The police are awaiting the autopsy report to confirm the murder.
The body of the girl has been shifted to the hospital morgue and it will be taken to Kottayam Medical College Hospital for an autopsy on Tuesday.
