Woman kills step-daughter by throwing her off the terrace

Chennai: After a 29-year-old woman claimed that her six-year-old step-daughter slipped off the terrace of her apartment and fell to her death at Selaiyur on Tuesday evening, police found that the child was murdered.

According to the police, the accused Surya Kala was alone in her house with the six-year-old Ragavi, when she threw the child off the balcony. Later, Surya claimed that the child had accidentally fallen off the terrace. The investigation revealed that Surya married Parthiban (34), a techie, of three years ago and resided in a rented apartment at Hastinapuram near Selaiyur.

“Parthiban’s first wife Saranya had died five years ago, and the couple had Ragavi, who resided with Parthiban even after he remarried. About one-and-a-half years ago, Parthiban and Surya Kala had a son —Vijay,” said a police source.

The source further added that Surya was four months pregnant, and her husband did not want to have another child. “Depressed over this, she claimed that Parthiban was more affectionate to Ragavi than Vijay, which drove her to kill the girl,” added the source.

The girl fell from a height of about 30 feet and died on the spot. Meanwhile, the police were informed, and they rushed to the place. They sent the body for post-mortem and conducted inquiries. During the interrogation, Surya confessed to the incident. The investigators also collected CCTV footage of residents running towards the baby after hearing her screams.

The Selaiyur police arrested Surya who was remanded to judicial custody by a Magistrate Court in Tambaram on Wednesday, and further investigations are on-going. Residents claimed that they have often seen the couple argue.