Bhopal woman kills neighbour's 18-month-old daughter; held

A woman allegedly kidnapped and killed an 18-month-old girl, the daughter of her neighbour, over a petty dispute with the victim's family, said a senior police official on Thursday.

Police have arrested the woman, Anusha Pal (40), for allegedly kidnapping and killing the girl, Harshita Malviya (one-and-a-half year-old), Bhopal's Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irshad Wali told reporters.

Harshita's mother, Mohini Malviya, and Pal were neighbours in P C Nagar under the Habibganj police station area of the state capital, he said.

There was a running dispute between the two families over visitors often coming to Pal's home. The girl's mother, Mohini Malviya, objected to so many people visiting the Pal family and often expressed her annoyance over it, he said.

The enmity between the two families led Pal to commit the crime to teach the Malviyas a lesson, Wali said.

Pal lured the toddler by offering biscuits and later took her to Narayan Nagar, where she strangled her to death on Wednesday, the DIG said.

She dumped her body in the bushes there and came back home, Wali said.

When Harshita Malviya was found missing by her family members, they filed a complaint with the police which launched a search for the girl, he said.

During investigation, the police found Pal's behaviour suspicious and interrogated her following which she broke down and narrated the entire incident, the DIG said.

Later, the police recovered the girl's body from the bushes and sent it for autopsy, he said, adding further investigation was underway.