Kollam: As mystery shrouds the death of a seven-year-old girl, Devananda, in Kerala's Kollam district, her parents have sought a comprehensive probe into the incident even as the child’s grandfather raised suspicion that she was kidnapped.
The eldest daughter of Kudavattoor natives C Pradeep and Dhanya, Devananda (Ponnu) went missing from her home in Kottarakkara taluk while her mother was washing clothes around 10.30am on Thursday. An extensive search operation was held and her body was found from the Ithikkara riverbank near her home on Friday.
The relatives said that it was unlikely that the little girl would go to the riverside on her own.
It was earlier suspected that the child might have headed to a temple she visited frequently. "We need to know the truth. The child had never gone to the temple via the riverside path. She never steps out without telling me. The child went missing within minutes," her mother Dhanya said.
Her father Pradeep said that the family was awaiting the post-mortem report.
Preliminary autopsy report said that Devananda drowned. The body was found near the bushes on the Ithikara riverside, 400 metres from the house. Her mother's brown duppatta was found next to the body. The child was wearing the same clothes when she went missing.
Kidnap suspected
The child's grandfather Mohan Pillai has raised suspicious that the girl could have been kidnapped.
"The child will never go to the river on her own. She did not go to the temple through the path by the river. She does not even go to other houses in the neighbourhood alone," Mohan Pillai said.
"There is something mysterious about the death. The child was not wearing her mother's dupatta when she went missing," he added.
Cops to probe all angles
A special investigation team led by Chathannoor ACP is probing the incident. The cops would probe as to how the child reached the Ithikkara riverbank.
A police sniffer dog had run up to a deserted house in the neighbourhood, raising suspicions.
No injuries
As per the preliminary inquest, there were no injuries or bruises on the body. Nor were there any signs of a struggle. Also, traces of mud and water were found from Devananda's lungs and stomach.
A detailed autopsy report is expected to throw more light into the incident.
Devananda was a Grade 1 student at Saraswathi Vidya Nikethan School at Vakkanadu in Kollam.
