A 28-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday, March 9, by the police in Kochi for allegedly murdering a three-year-old girl by drowning her in a bucket. The man has been identified as John Binoy D’Cruz, who the police say is the partner of the child’s grandmother Deepthi Shaji (46). John was allegedly present with the child when she died, on Tuesday. Though John had first claimed that the child died because she choked on milk, a post-mortem revealed that the death happened due to drowning.
According to reports, the child’s grandmother, Deepthi, and her partner John, who is a native of Palluruthy in Ernakulam, had booked a room in a lodge in Kaloor in Ernakulam district. Both of Deepthi’s grandchildren, aged five and three, were with her. There had been a dispute between the parents over custody of the children, and since her mother was abroad, Deepthi had been taking care of the two children.
A police official told TNM that there had been some tension between Deepthi and John. The police say that John alleged that Deepthi had been harassing him and wanted him to not discontinue their relationship. “She had filed complaints against him before various organisations like the womens’ cell, child welfare commission, etc, accusing him of beating her,” the officer said. The police say the two had a fight on Monday night, and after that, John allegedly drowned the child in revenge.
According to reports, the children were initially at their maternal house. "What we understood is that after differences between the father and mother emerged, the father was firm that he would allow his wife to go abroad only if the kids were handed over to him. He took the children from their maternal grandmother after their mother went abroad three months ago," Bitty Joseph, Chairperson of Child Welfare Committee Ernakulam told TNM.
The paternal grandmother Deepthi was taking care of them after they were handed over to the father.
"What we understood is that after differences between the father and mother emerged, the father was firm that he would allow his wife to go abroad only if the custody of kids was given to him. He took the children from their maternal grandmother after their mother went abroad three months ago," Bitty Joseph, Chairperson of Child Welfare Committee Ernakulam told TNM.
In the evening on Tuesday, March 8, Deepthi reportedly rushed downstairs from their lodge room on the third floor, holding an unconscious child on her shoulder. She informed those at the lodge that the child was not breathing and was unconscious.
According to Deepthi, she had stepped out of the lodge at the time of the child’s death. John was allegedly present with the child, and he had informed Deepthi that the child passed out after choking on the milk that she was drinking.
“They checked in at 10 pm on Saturday and were here till the incident happened in the wee hours of Tuesday. She had held the kid tightly to her chest. The other kid, a four-year-old one, came walking along with them,” the employees of the lodge, where the child allegedly drowned, told Asianet news.
The staff didn’t feel anything was amiss, as they were told by the child’s grandmother at 2 am that they were going to the hospital, as the child had puked.
“The woman (grandmother) came downstairs panicking. When we asked what happened, she said that the child had breathlessness and that she was not breathing. Her male friend was with her. They had a car and they told me that they were going to Lisie hospital (a private hospital located nearby),” one of the hotel staff employees added.
However, when the child was rushed to the hospital, she was declared dead. When the child’s father was informed, he immediately grew suspicious and requested a post-mortem. It was the post-mortem that revealed that the girl had died due to drowning. The post mortem showed that the child’s lungs had filled with water.
After initial investigations, the police arrested John on Wednesday, March 9. The police say that John, who has a history of criminal cases, has been in a relationship with Deepthi, who is the child’s paternal grandmother.