Parents of the four-year-old girl who was found dead in a private school’s septic tank in Vikravandi town in Villpuram district of Tamil Nadu on January 3, 2025, suspect foul play in the child’s death. The parents of the girl are seeking a CB-CID investigation as they feel the police have not adequately investigated the involvement of the private school staff in the girl’s death.
One of the parents alleged that their child could have been murdered and said they saw CCTV footage of their daughter being carried towards the area where the septic tank is located and then being carried back from that area by the girl’s class teacher on January 3. Throughout the footage, their child appeared dead, one of the parents told TNM.
Liya Lakshmi, the four-year-old girl, was reportedly found inside the septic tank of the school on Friday, January 3. She was recovered and rushed to the Government Villupuram Medical College and Hospital in Mundiyampakkam. However, Liya was declared ‘brought dead’. Initially, the girl was suspected to have slipped into the septic tank located near the girls' washroom.
The Vikravandi police booked a case and arrested three people, including the private school’s correspondent Emilda, principal Dominique Mary, and the girl’s class teacher Angel.
K Palanivel, Liya’s father, told TNM, “I saw the CCTV footage that has been submitted to the police. It shows my daughter being carried by her class teacher Angel towards the toilet area where the septic tank is and then being carried back from that area within a span of six seconds. In this footage, my child shows no sign of movement.”
“There is no footage that shows my child going inside the toilet area by herself or footage of the child being brought out after being rescued from the septic tank. Why don’t they have the CCTV footage to substantiate this?” Palanivel asked.
He also said that on January 3, when his family visited the school, they were informed that a total of 37 CCTV cameras were installed within the school’s premises. However, the school had only handed over footage from 32 cameras to the police. “When asked, the school denied having 37 cameras,” Palanivel said.
These inconsistencies have led Liya’s family to believe that the school’s management is “hiding something” and that their daughter could have been murdered. “One of my child’s classmates told me that the teacher, Angel, had beaten my daughter in class on January 3,” he said.
“The police have failed to consider all these facts and investigate the matter. We therefore want the CB-CID to investigate this case,” Palanivel told TNM.
A petition was submitted by Palanivel with the Villupuram SP flagging his family’s suspicion over Liya’s death.
Meanwhile, the Madras High Court granted conditional bail to Emilda, Dominique Mary, and Angel on Friday, January 10, after the court found that the septic tank had been closed with a metal sheet lid, was protected by a one-and-a-half-foot compound wall, and had also had a fence erected around it for protection.
All three accused have been asked to appear before the Mylapore police for five days and to cooperate with the police’s investigation. The private school’s correspondent and principal have also been ordered to pay a combined sum of Rs 5 lakh to Liya’s family.