Karnataka woman tortures 4-year-old stepdaughter to death, arrested: Report

The woman, a resident of Vadgaon in Belagavi, had been living within the jurisdiction of APMC police station when the incident took place.

A woman from Belagavi has been arrested for allegedly causing the death of her four-year-old stepdaughter after a medical examination confirmed that the child died due to sustained abuse.

The incident occurred in May 2024. (Representational Image)

According to New Indian Express report, the incident, which occurred in May 2024, was revisited after recent post-mortem findings revealed that the girl, succumbed to injuries resulting from repeated torture inflicted by her stepmother, Sapna Navi.

Sapna, a resident of Vadgaon in Belagavi, had been living within the jurisdiction of APMC police station when the incident took place, the report added.

According to the report, police investigation has shown that the woman consistently mistreated and beat the girl, with the intention of harming her. "Following the post-mortem results, which confirmed that the child’s death was caused by injuries inflicted on her, we arrested Sapna from her residence," a police officer said as per the publication.

The girl's father, Rayanna, who works with the CRPF and had remarried Sapna after the death of his first wife, two years ago. The police also shared that his first wife had died under suspicious circumstances, reportedly at the hands of her in-laws, when Samrudhi was just two years old. Post this, he married Sapna, and the couple lived in a rented house in the APMC police station area. However, the girl’s father’s job in Chhattisgarh meant that he was rarely at home.

During this period, Sapna reportedly subjected the child to regular abuse, which eventually led to her death. The girl’s grandparents, who are the parents of Rayanna’s first wife, had filed a complaint with the police after the child passed away, alleging that Sapna was responsible for her death due to consistent torture.

Initially, an FIR was filed stating the cause of death as unnatural. Sapna was granted anticipatory bail, but after the medical report confirmed the cause of death, she was taken into custody on Thursday.

Further investigation is underway.