Palghar, Maharashtra: A tragic case involving the mysterious death of a 7-year-old girl in Nalasopara has been solved, with Palghar’s Central Crime Detection Unit confirming the incident to be a case of murder. Shockingly, the girl’s own brother, identified as a juvenile in conflict with the law, has been held responsible.
On April 17, 2025, a complaint was lodged at the Pelhar Police Station by her father, stating that his 7-year-old daughter had died in an accidental fall at their residence in Valaipada, Santoshbhavan, Nalasopara.
According to the initial report, the girl was trying to take something from the kitchen counter when she fell from a stool, and a pair of household tongs accidentally pierced the right side of her neck, causing her death. An Accidental Death Register was registered under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
However, the postmortem report from JJ Hospital, Mumbai, raised suspicions. Medical officers noted that the injuries around the child’s neck did not align with an accidental fall, prompting senior police officials to order a parallel investigation.
Acting swiftly, officers and personnel from the Central Crime Detection Branch visited the scene and thoroughly examined CCTV footage from the surrounding area. During questioning of the family and neighbors, suspicions began to center on the deceased's own brother, a juvenile.
Upon further investigation, in the presence of their maternal uncle, the minor confessed to the crime. On the day of the incident, he had called his sister home for lunch while she was playing outside. When she refused to come, he became enraged, verbally abused her, and physically assaulted her with a slipper.
Later, once both were inside the house, the girl reportedly retaliated by insulting him, which provoked him to attack her using a cloth-cutting tool (referred to locally as a "cutter"). He inflicted fatal wounds around her neck, and after committing the crime, he fled the house briefly.
After some time, he returned and created a false narrative, claiming that someone had killed his sister. He then picked her lifeless body and rushed outside, shouting for help.
"Based on information provided by the father, a case of accidental death was registered at Pelhar police station and the body was sent for post mortem to Mumbai's JJ Hospital. The autopsy report said she died of injuries around the neck. A subsequent probe, which included talking to neighbours and a thorough check of the site, pointed the finger of suspicion at her juvenile brother," stated MBVV police Central Crime Unit senior inspector Pramod Badakh.
The comprehensive investigation ultimately concluded that the injuries sustained by the deceased were inflicted by her brother, the juvenile in conflict with the law, using the cutter. Consequently, the juvenile has been handed over to the Pelhar Police Station, along with his maternal uncle, for appropriate legal proceedings. Further investigation is underway.
