A representative image showing a crime scene.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: Kumbalgodu police have arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly killing his seven-year-old stepdaughter.
The accused, Darshan, a resident of Kannika Layout, had smothered the child, Siri, at their home four days ago and was absconding.
A senior officer said that based on a complaint from the child's mother, Shilpa, police launched a hunt and arrested Darshan on Monday.
Shilpa had married Darshan after her first husband’s death. While Darshan worked for a retail marketing company in Anekal, Shilpa was employed with a private firm as an exterior designer. Initially, Darshan treated Siri well, but later, began resenting her as she came in the way of his time with Shilpa. The tension led to frequent quarrels between the couple.
On October 24 evening, while Shilpa was at work, Siri, who had returned from school, was standing near a shop when Darshan called her home. She refused, saying he often beat her. Enraged and humiliated, he dragged her home, assaulted her, and smothered her to death.
He then cleaned the bloodstains and waited for Shilpa to return. When she found her daughter unresponsive and questioned him, Darshan locked her inside a room and fled to his native place in Tumakuru.
Police tracked him after learning that he had left his bike at a friend’s house in Madanayakanahalli and was planning to collect it. He was arrested and taken into custody.