An 18-month-old girl died after being allegedly thrown down a stairwell by her 10-year-old neighbor.
MUMBAI: An 18-month-old toddler was playing with a cat outside her sixth-floor home in a Goregaon building when her 10-year-old neighbour allegedly lured her towards the lift and threw her down the stairwell before running away, according to the toddler’s mother. The girl’s 12-year-old brother later peered down the stairwell while searching for his sister and spotted someone lying in the basement wearing clothes similar to hers. Four days after the incident, Dindoshi police on Sunday registered a murder FIR against the 10-year-old on the basis of a complaint filed by the toddler’s mother. The incident took place on October 14 between 9pm and 9.30pm. She sent the girl’s 12-year-old brother to look for her, but he could not find her in the corridor. She alleged that CCTV footage showed the 10-year-old gesturing to the toddler and summoning her towards the lift. The 10-year-old and her family had moved into the housing society barely a fortnight before the incident. For children aged seven to below 12, criminal responsibility depends on whether they had sufficient maturity to understand the nature and consequences of their conduct.
In her statement to police, the mother said the security railing on the sixth floor was around three-and-a-half feet tall and maintained that her daughter could not have lost her balance and fallen over it. She was released into the care of her parents. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest Mumbai news.
It appears she understood the gravity of her actions,” the mother said in her statement. Sources said the family subsequently left the society and moved in with relatives. Experts said counselling and rehabilitation were important in the case, stressing that the way forward should focus on healing rather than punishment.
Police had initially registered an accidental death case. The toddler was playing with a cat in the common corridor outside her sixth-floor home when her mother realised she was missing. The boy then peered down the stairwell and saw someone lying in the basement. The clothes appeared to match his sister’s, prompting him to alert their mother. By then, residents had found the injured toddler and rushed her to a civic hospital, where she was declared dead. When the younger girl approached, the neighbour allegedly lifted her and threw her down the stairwell near the lift before running away. “She then ran away… Under the law, children below seven cannot be prosecuted for criminal offences. Download the TOI App.
Soon after the toddler’s death, police produced the girl before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), which directed that she undergo counselling and appointed an NGO for the purpose.