13-yr-old girl’s mysterious death in Kochi: Father arrested

Kochi police commissioner CH Nagaraju said preliminary inquiry revealed that the man plotted to kill himself and the daughter after he suffered financial setback in his business in Pune

More than four weeks after the body of a 13-year-old girl was found in a river in Kochi, the Kerala Police on Monday confirmed the arrest of her father, a small-time businessman, from his hideout in Karwar in Karnataka, even as her mother is yet to speak to the police.

Representational Image.

Kochi police commissioner CH Nagaraju said a preliminary inquiry revealed that the man wanted to kill himself and the daughter after he suffered a financial setback in his business in Pune. He allegedly suffocated his daughter on March 20 and dumped her body in the river. He also allegedly tried to kill himself but survived, said the police.

The post-mortem examination report revealed that the girl drowned. While there are several gaps in the man’s statements, as per the preliminary probe, no third party involvement is suspected. Police have moved an application in a local court, requesting custody of the man for two weeks.

Police recovered his car from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. “We have information that he travelled to three-four states to dodge police and there were many attempts to mislead investigators,” said the commissioner. The man reportedly told the police that he tried to die by suicide by slitting his vein but later took medical help. In Goa, he told his interrogators that he jumped into the sea but was rescued by lifeguards. But police suspect these statements are false.

An electronic equipment dealer, the accused left Pune a couple of years ago and settled in Kochi after his business suffered losses. Police said a case was registered against him in Pune for financial malpractices.