An 18-month-old girl died after allegedly being thrown down a stairwell from the sixth floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Goregaon East, with CCTV footage reportedly capturing a 10-year-old girl lifting the toddler and pushing her into the duct area.
An 18-month-old girl died after allegedly being thrown down a stairwell from the sixth floor of a residential building in Mumbai’s Goregaon East, with CCTV footage reportedly capturing a 10-year-old girl lifting the toddler and pushing her into the duct area. The incident took place on Wednesday night, prompting Mumbai Police to launch an investigation into the child’s death.
No FIR has been registered so far.
The 10-year-old girl has been produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which will conduct enquiries and decide on the next course of action. The girl and her family had moved into the housing society barely a fortnight before the incident.
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Toddler went missing while playing outside home
The toddler lived with her parents and four brothers on the sixth floor of the building. According to a relative, she had been playing in the common corridor outside the flats with a stray cat when she suddenly went missing.
Her mother subsequently sent one of the toddler’s brothers to look for her. After searching for several minutes, the boy peered down the stairwell and spotted someone lying on the ground floor. He recognised the clothes as those worn by his sister and immediately rushed to alert their mother.
“After searching for a few minutes, her brother peered down the stairwell and saw someone lying on the ground floor. The clothes matched his sister’s outfit. He then rushed to inform his mother,” said the child’s aunt.
Meanwhile, other residents picked up the severely injured toddler and rushed her to a doctor. However, she had sustained critical head injuries and was declared dead.
CCTV footage raises suspicion
Following the incident, police were informed and an accidental death record was registered. Police reportedly grew suspicious after noticing that the railing on the sixth floor was too high for the toddler to have easily fallen over.
Police subsequently examined CCTV footage from the building that showed a 10-year-old girl living on the same floor lifting the toddler and throwing her down the stairwell. The girl allegedly returned home without informing anyone about what had happened.
“We are investigating the sequence of events leading up to the death of the toddler, and whether any adult was involved,” said a senior police official.
What does the law say about children accused of offences?
Under Indian law, children below seven years of age are exempt from criminal prosecution. For children aged between seven and 12, criminal responsibility depends on whether they possessed sufficient maturity to understand the nature and consequences of their actions.
The case involving the 10-year-old will therefore require further assessment under the applicable juvenile justice framework, with the Child Welfare Committee conducting its enquiries.
“An accidental death record was registered regarding the death of an 18-month-old girl at Goregaon East. CCTV footage shows a 10-year-old neighbour lifting the toddler and pushing her down into the duct area. The body has been sent for a postmortem examination to ascertain the cause of death,” said DCP Gajanan Rajmane.