Bhubaneswar: Police on Thursday detained a woman for allegedly thrashing her minor stepdaughter to death for spending Rs 20 on ‘Dahi Bara’ at Podasahi village under Fathegarh police limits in Odisha’s Nayagarh district.
The deceased has been identified as Tulasi (14), a class IX student.
According to sources, Manda Swain of Kalapangi village, who had married Sukuta Swain of the village after the death of his first wife, was apprehended while taking the body to bury at an isolated place with the help of her family members in an attempt to wipe out evidence. The incident took place on Wednesday morning.
Manda thrashed Tulasi after getting to know that she spent Rs 20 on Tuesday, leading to the latter’s death.
Sources further said that Sukuta has given one of his two daughters from his first marriage to a neighbour while Tulasi was allegedly tortured by her stepmother almost every day.
Meanwhile, police have sent the body for autopsy and detained Manda on the basis of a complaint lodged by Tulasi’s uncle. “My brother-in-law’s second wife used to thrash Tulasi. She (Manda) thrashed her to death for spending Rs 20 on Dahi Bara. We demand stringent action against her,” Braja Bandhu Swain, uncle of Tulasi, told the media.