Kovai minor kidnapped and killed, body dumped in abandoned well

The victim was identified as Amrutha, daughter of Kanagaraj (38) and Kanjana (21). Kanjana had taken her child to her mother’s house in Vilankurichi on Sunday, while Kanagaraj left for his parent’s residence in Annur.

According to police, Kanjana fed milk to her daughter around 2.30 am on Monday. “She again woke up around 4.30 am only to find her missing from the bed. The doors were not locked as a few relatives had slept out in the veranda,” an officer said.

Upon finding Amrutha missing, the shocked family members, accompanied by other villagers, searched the vicinity but were not able to trace her. A few hours later, they found the girl in an unused well around 0.5 km from their house. Some of the neighbours then got into the well using a rope and brought out the girl, who was in an unconscious state.

Though the minor was rushed to a nearby private hospital, doctors there declared her dead on arrival. On receiving information about the incident, a police team led by Deputy Commissioner Balaji Saravanan arrived and sent the body of the girl for a post-mortem examination at the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH).

 The Peelamedu police have registered a case of suspicious death. Special teams have been formed to nab the culprits. They are inquiring with those who stayed in the house and a few others in connection with the crime. They have also seized a dhoti and a liquor bottle from near the well.

As there were no visible injury marks on the body, police believe that the girl was not subjected to sexual assault. However, the exact cause of death would be known only after the post-mortem, police added.