Stepmother held for killing 3-year-old girl in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad: A 26-year-old woman was arrested on Monday for allegedly smothering her three-and-a-half-year-old stepdaughter in the Wave City area on Saturday. Police said Jyoti, who has a two-month-old daughter of her own, lay next to the girl’s body with her baby for around five hours.According to police, the girl’s father Nitesh Kumar lived in EWS Flats, Wave City, with his wife Jyoti, their two-month-old daughter, and his children Darsh (4) and Vanshika from his first marriage. Kumar’s older brother Amit, who filed the police complaint, told cops that Nitesh abandoned his first wife to elope with Jyoti, after which Kumar’s family broke contact with him.ACP Priyashri Pal said that when Kumar returned home from work around 8pm on Saturday, he found Vanshika unconscious on the floor while Jyoti played with their baby next to her. When he questioned Jyoti, she claimed Vanshika had fallen off the bed and lost consciousness. Kumar called Amit, and the two brought Vanshika to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.Later, the two called the police.When cops initially questioned Jyoti, they found irregularities in her statement. The autopsy report later revealed that Vanshika was smothered to death on Saturday afternoon. The report also showed she sustained several injuries just before her death.Investigation revealed Jyoti disliked her stepdaughter. On Saturday afternoon, Jyoti became enraged at the toddler for defecating. She beat and smothered Vanshika, then lay down next to her body.Jyoti was arrested on Monday, and an FIR has been registered against her under BNS Section 103 (murder). “She was sent to judicial custody after being produced in court,” said Wave City SHO Manvendra Singh.