A woman from Belagavi has been arrested in connection with the death of her four-year-old stepdaughter, following post-mortem findings that revealed the child succumbed to injuries from repeated abuse. The incident, which occurred in May 2024, came to light after a recent medical examination confirmed that the girl’s death was caused by sustained torture inflicted by her stepmother, Sapna Navi.
Sapna, a resident of Vadgaon in Belagavi, had been living with her husband Rayanna, who works with the CRPF, and the child in a rented house within the jurisdiction of the APMC police station. The girl’s father had remarried Sapna after the death of his first wife under suspicious circumstances, when the girl, Samrudhi, was only two years old.
During Rayanna’s absence due to work in Chhattisgarh, Sapna allegedly subjected Samrudhi to regular mistreatment, which ultimately led to the child’s death. Following the post-mortem report, the police arrested Sapna from her residence on Thursday. The girl’s paternal grandparents had previously filed a complaint, accusing Sapna of torturing their granddaughter.
Initially, an FIR was filed citing unnatural death, and Sapna was granted anticipatory bail. However, after confirmation of the abuse from the medical report, she was taken into custody. The investigation is ongoing, with authorities working to gather more details regarding the case.
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