Evidence indicates that Sanu Mohan, 40, who was arrested from Karnataka on Sunday, smothered his 13-year-old daughter Vaiga at his apartment in Kangarapady here with the intention of killing her on March 21, carried the unconscious child in his car and pushed her into the Muttar river from where her body was recovered on March 23, District Police Chief (Kochi City) C.H. Nagaraju said here on Monday. The police team probing the girl’s death got custody of Sanu for 10 days, after he was produced in the court on Monday.
Mr. Nagaraju said there was no evidence of the involvement of anyone else in her death. The post-mortem report mentioned water in her lungs, which suggested that she could breathe before drowning in the river. Sanu Mohan had been charged under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC. He claimed that he wanted to take his life after killing his daughter. “These claims have to be verified, since he has been giving contradictory statements. He appears to be a secretive person, rarely sharing his business details with the family,” Mr. Nagaraju told the media.
Cheating case in Pune
Mr. Nagaraju said Sanu, who was into steel business in Pune, was wanted by the Economic Offences Wing of the Maharashtra Police in connection with a cheating case involving ₹3 crore. A case was charged five years ago, following which he gave the police the slip and came to Kochi.
“He used to splurge on lottery tickets and was into gambling as well. It appears his mounting debts and his wish to escape from here led him to kill his daughter. He says he did not want his daughter to be ‘orphaned’,” Mr. Nagaraju said.
Bloodstains
On the bloodstains found at the apartment at Kangarapady, Mr. Nagaraju said Sanu attributed this to blood oozing from Vaiga’s nose as he tried to smother her. Scientific evidence on this is awaited.
“There is no police case against him in Kerala. But he kept away from his father’s funeral, fearing that the Maharashtra Police might trace him. There is no evidence of him facing threats from any gang,” Mr. Nagaraju said.
