Bhubaneswar: Police arrested a woman on Saturday for allegedly strangling her five-year-old daughter to death in Kotasamalai village in Subarnapur district in Feb.
The accused, Ashalata Mahapatra, was arrested two months after the crime when police investigation revealed that the child’s death, initially reported as suspicious, was actually a case of murder. The arrest came after the autopsy report confirmed death by suffocation.
Police said that on Feb 24, the woman, allegedly troubled by disturbing dreams, strangled her daughter with a sari. The crime was committed when no other family members were present at home, the police added. The investigation was re-opened based on complaint made by the family members following Ashalata’s troubled behaviour.
The accused confessed to the crime during interrogation, the police said, confirming that further investigation is ongoing to understand the complete circumstances that led to the child’s murder.