Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Jul 16: In a chilling case, a 40-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly strangling his five-year-old stepdaughter and dumping her body into the Arabian Sea, Mumbai police said on Tuesday.

The accused, Imran Shaikh, was taken into custody after the child’s body was found floating near Sassoon Dock in south Mumbai earlier in the day.

The girl had been reported missing from the Antop Hill area of Central Mumbai by Shaikh and her mother Nazia, who works as a housemaid. Following their complaint, police had initially registered a kidnapping case against an unknown person.

However, during investigation, CCTV footage revealed that the girl was last seen with Shaikh. This led officers to suspect his role, and they began tracking his movements.

After the discovery of the body, Shaikh was detained and during interrogation, he confessed to the murder, officials said.

Police believe a personal dispute between Shaikh and his wife, with whom he had entered into a second marriage, may have triggered the heinous act.

Further investigation is underway.