'He was watching TV when the girl ...': 7-year-old killed by father's booze partner in Delhi

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A seven-year-old girl was strangled to death, allegedly by her father’s friend at her home in the Swaroop Nagar area of outer north Delhi, police said on Monday.

After noticing a crowd outside the victim’s house, a head constable from the patrolling team went to know about the matter. He found the girl lying unconscious in a pool of blood inside the house. The official promptly notified the local police station. Additional teams were dispatched to the scene, and an investigation was initiated.

According to the police, the accused, Ranjit, and victim’s father, Prem Singh (32), were consuming alcohol somewhere, while the child was left alone. The accused returned to the house, while Prem remained out. The accused got annoyed with the girl after she attempted to take the TV remote. In a fit of anger, he slapped her, causing her to fall off the couch and start bleeding. He then allegedly strangled her, fearing the consequences of hitting the child.

"On the day of the murder, her father and Ranjit drank together somewhere, and her father remained there while Ranjit came to the house. He was watching TV when the girl asked him to give the remote. This is when he got irritated and slapped her. He later strangled her,” TOI quoted a police official as saying.

"Neighbours knew that he used to come to the house regularly, so no one suspected any foul play when he was leaving the house," police added.

The police tracked Ranjeet’s mobile location to Narela and arrested him. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime, police said.

Prem, a native of Patna, Bihar, works as a daily wage labourer, while his wife Muskan (32) is employed at a factory in Delhi's Libaspur. The couple have another daughter, aged nine.