Sonepur: In a shocking incident, a woman has been arrested for allegedly strangling her six-year-old daughter to death, driven by superstitious beliefs, in Kotasamalei village under Birmaharajpur police station limits in Subarnapur district.
The accused, identified as Ashalata, was arrested by Birmaharajpur police Saturday and later produced before a local court.
The victim, Nisha, daughter of Ganesh Mahapatra, was a student in the first grade at a local school. After returning from school and having her meal, Nisha was resting at home when her mother, allegedly under the influence of hallucinations and blind faith, strangled her Thursday.
At that time, Nisha’s father along with his two sons had gone to assist food service at a wedding feast nearby.
Upon returning home, Ganesh attempted to wake Nisha but found her unresponsive. Noticing injury marks on her neck, he immediately rushed her to Ulunda Hospital on a motorcycle. However, doctors declared the child dead on arrival.
Initially, an unnatural death case was registered at the Birmaharajpur police station. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Bibhu Prasad Baral led the investigation.
Although Ganesh had earlier mentioned that his wife was suffering from mental health issues, police treated the case with seriousness due to the suspicious neck injuries. During interrogation, Ashalata confessed to the crime, stating that she killed her daughter following a “divine command” she claimed to have received in a dream.
Consequently, police registered a murder case (96/25) against her. The investigation is ongoing.
PNN
