E-Paper
Mizoram couple held over death of daughter suspected to be sexually abused
In a statement, police said the girl’s father was arrested on October 1 and the mother two days later as they appeared to be the prime suspects in the case
A couple has been arrested in Mizoram over the death of their two-year-old daughter, who is suspected to have been sexually assaulted. In a statement, police said the girl’s father was arrested on October 1 and the mother two days later as they appeared to be the prime suspects in the case.
Police said a case under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act was registered on September 20 when the private hospital, where the girl died in Aizawl on September 16, cited an examination and told them it indicated sexual abuse.
The statement said the child died of severe respiratory distress but “unnatural signs” were spotted on her private parts, which could indicate sexual assault when her body was to be handed over to her family.
It added doctors at a government in Aizawl subsequently examined the child’s body and found old healed wounds on the private parts even as no semen was detected.
Police said they suspected foul play, registered a case and launched an investigation. The child’s parents, grandparents, and other relatives were among those questioned.
The statement said the parents are the prime suspects as they maintained that the child’s custody always remained with them. It added the father was arrested on the basis of circumstantial evidence and the mother for interrogation.
