7-yr-old found dead in suspicious circumstances

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: In yet another tragic incident, a seven-year-old girl died under mysterious circumstances after she was sent to her neighbour’s house in the city.

The deceased girl was identified as Akriti, the daughter of a couple, Vinod and Nalini, residents of Gangondanahalli in Bengaluru North here.

The parents and relatives of the girl expressed several suspicions over the sudden death of Akriti on Saturday after which they filed a complaint with the Madanayakanahalli police who are further probing the matter. The body was sent to Victoria Hospital for the post-mortem analysis.

"We cannot say anything about this case until we get the medical reports from the hospital,” the police said.

In their statement to the police, Vinod and Nalini alleged that they had counselled Akriti on Saturday evening for being mischievous and sent her to Nanjundappa and Pallavi, another couple who reside close to their house.

That night, the girl slept in the house of the couple, they said. Vinod and Nalini, who got married in 2016, have two daughters Akriti, seven, and six-month-old Rakshiti.

It was learnt that Akriti was mischievous and stubborn in nature and had developed a habit of biting her nails. However she had also developed a bond with Nanjundappa and Pallavi and often used to visit their house.

During the investigation it was found that Akriti was suffering from health issues after which she started vomiting. Nanjundappa took her to a hospital around 2:30 am on Saturday where she allegedly died.

While the parents have alleged that Nanjundappa never informed them before taking their child to a hospital, Nanjundappa maintained that he had called them twice over their mobile phones but failed to get any response.

It was revealed that when the officials from Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) inspected the body, they found blood-clots near the neck which are suspected to have formed after a blood vessel was injured by trauma from blunt force.

The exact reason and details, however, are yet to be ascertained. It is also suspected that the girl might have died due to strangulation.

Meanwhile, based on the complaint filed by the girl’s parents, a case has been registered against Nanjundappa who is currently being interrogated by the police. Further investigation will unravel the mystery of the girl’s death, the police said.