Ghaziabad: Woman held for strangling 12-yr-old after ‘theft’

A 45-year-old shop-owner was arrested on Sunday for allegedly strangling her sister’s 12-year-old adopted son after he stole money from her grocery‑shop safe in Tronica City, police said.

The accused, Rehmati Khatum, a resident of Daulatnagar, was taken into custody by a Tronica City police team a day after a murder case was registered.

“On Wednesday we received information from Ajmati Khatun, a resident of Begusarai, Bihar, that her 12-year-old son was strangled to death by her sister Rehmati,” said Surendra Nath Tiwari, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Ghaziabad Rural.

“On the complaint of the victim, a case of murder under section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered on Saturday … she was arrested on Sunday,” the DCP added.

Investigators said Rehmati had adopted her sister’s son eight years ago after being widowed and childless. Both later shifted to Ghaziabad and lived above her shop.

In her statement, the accused told police the boy “used to annoy her due to his disobedient behaviour” and had skipped school. On Wednesday he allegedly took cash from the shop’s safe.

“I got angry and assaulted him. During that period, I got furious and strangled him, following which he fainted and collapsed on the ground. I tried to wake him up, but when he did not respond, neighbours rushed him to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead,” Rehmati said, according to DCP Tiwari.

Police said she fled after learning of the boy’s death. Locals alerted the child’s biological parents, who travelled from Bihar and lodged the complaint that led to her arrest.