The police on Monday arrested a 28-year-old woman, Asha, on the charge of drowning a 4-year-old girl in a bucket of water.
According to police, the victim, Koshini, was the only daughter of Dharmalingam, 31, an advocate, and Jayanthi. They have been living separately for one-and-half years. As per an agreement, the child was living with her mother and she used to visit her father on weekends. Dharmalingam had brought Koshini to his house on Friday.
Asha was in a relationship with Dharmalingam and was staying in his house. On Sunday when he was away, Asha called him over the phone and said that Koshini had fainted while playing and later died in a hospital.
Alleging foul play, the girl’s mother lodged a complaint with the Kundrathur police.
Confesses to crime
When police interrogated Asha, she confessed to killing Koshini. She told the police that she had a child from a previous marriage and had approached Dharmalingam for obtaining a divorce from her husband. They developed a relationship over a period of time and got married at a local temple. Asha, who was six months pregnant, resented the affection Dharmalingam had for Koshini.
She hatched a plan to kill Koshini to ensure that her child became the legal heir to Dharmalingam’s properties.
Asha was arrested and remanded to custody.
