Woman held for torturing niece

The aunt of a four-year-old girl was arrested by the Malwani police on Wednesday night allegedly for assaulting the child.

The incident came to light after the accused, citing poor financial condition,  put the victim up for adoption with a Malad-based NGO, whose members approached the police with the complaint.

According to the Malwani police, Anita Hadkar, 23, who along with her husband and two children lives at gate number 7 in Malwani, was arrested for torturing her niece. The girl’s father had handed her to Hadkar, when she was hardly a one month old, after she lost her mother.

“The victim, who has been living with Hadkar for the past three years now, was burnt with a candle flame several times in the past few months,” said a police officer with the Malwani police.

The incident was brought to notice after Irfan Kapadia, member of NGO Navyog Samaj Seva Sanstha, approached Hadkar “as she wanted to put her niece up for adoption in some children’s home.”
“She had discussed this with her neighbour earlier, and two days ago with Kapadia, who introduced her to members of a children’s home in Malad (East),” the officer added. 

However, when Kapadia and children home officials went to Hadkar’s home on Wednesday to take the victim with them, they were shocked to see several injury marks on her body.
“On inquiring, the victim revealed the torture,” the police officer said.

Kapadia then took her to a hospital and approached the Malwani police with a complaint against Hadkar.

“A medical test confirmed that the injury marks were from burns,” said senior inspector Abdul Rauf Shaikh of the Malwani police.