CHENNAI:  City police arrested a 33-year-old man on murder charges after investigations revealed that his two-year-old child who breathed last on Monday was strangulated by him using a towel, allegedly over suspicions of his wife's fidelity. Police sources said the accused Akram Javed was disturbed as the child was light-skinned while the couple were dark-skinned.

According to police, the accused was remanded in judicial custody on Thursday. He ran a garment shop in Mannady, where he lived with his family.

Akram got married a few years ago, and the couple had a two-and-half-year-old daughter. On Monday morning, Akram's wife woke up and found that her daughter was unconscious, after which she alerted her husband and the rest of the family. The child was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared her brought dead.

While the wife's family members suspected foul play, Akram claimed innocence. A complaint was filed with the North Beach police, who, after an inquiry, found that the father had indeed strangulated the child with a towel, leading to her death. Preliminary post-mortem reports also confirmed that the child was strangulated, police said.