A day after a businessman was found dead in his house in Rajajinagar on Sunday, his 14-year-old daughter and her friend were arrested on charge of murder on Monday.
The girl, who is a class nine student, and her friend — a senior from school currently pursuing a graduate course — killed him as he had objected to their relationship, the police said.
They allegedly killed the businessman in his home on Sunday morning and attempted to make it look like a fire accident. The firemen and police, however, found loopholes in the story, leading to their arrest.
On Sunday morning at around 10.30 a.m., the girl raised a fire alarm and screamed for help from the terrace of the building where the family stayed on the fourth floor. Alerted by neighbours, a fire engine rushed to the spot and found that the fire was confined to the bathroom. On going in, they found a man’s body on fire, put it out and tipped off the police.
Telltale signs
“There were telltale signs that it was a crime scene. There was an attempt to project that there was a short circuit or a water heater blast in the bathroom, but there was no signs to suggest a source for an accidental fire. It was apparent the man was set ablaze after being killed, as there were no signs of struggle as well,” a fire official said.
As the city police took over the probe, the daughter, who was the only other person in the house, became the prime suspect. The girl had suffered minor burns on her feet. There were blood stains in the bedroom. She broke down under sustained interrogation and confessed to having killed her father, the police said. Acting on information provided by her, the police arrested her friend, an 18-year-old first year B.Com student, her alleged accomplice.
“The duo was upset over the man’s objection to their friendship and had carefully planned the murder. They have confessed to the crime. We have several pieces of corroborative evidence,” said N. Shashi Kumar, DCP (North).
‘Objected to relationship’
The deceased had reportedly discovered their relationship. He had taken away the girl’s mobile phone and had barred the duo from meeting each other, sources said.
The girl’s mother and younger brother had left for Puducherry early on Sunday, leaving the father and daughter at home. Investigations revealed that the girl had laced the milk she had given her father with an overdose of sleeping pills. After drinking the milk, he fell unconscious, following which her friend came over.
“The duo used two kitchen knives, stabbed the man multiple times and slit his throat in the bedroom. They made an attempt to clean up the bloodstains in the bedroom and shifted the body to the bathroom and put it on the toilet seat. They changed their bloodstained clothes and went out and got two bottles of petrol from a petrol bunk. The girl returned with petrol, set the body on fire, and raised an alarm,” a senior police official claimed.
