Navi Mumbai, Feb 8 (NIE): A four-year-old girl was allegedly burnt by her mother and aunt in Kalamboli on Wednesday night as a punishment for running around the house and refusing to sit down. Both women were arrested on Thursday.

The Kalamboli police lodged an FIR after a complaint was filed by the girl’s father, Ghanshyam Yadav (23), a vegetable vendor. “On Wednesday night, when he returned home, he found his daughter Sakshi crying. He found several burn marks across the child’s torso, limbs, neck and face,” said senior Inspector Satish Gaikwad.

In his statement to the police, Yadav said: “The girl’s mother Anita Yadav and aunt Rinki Yadav poured hot wax and burnt her using a candle, as a punishment. The child was running around the house and the two women held her down and poured hot wax on her.”

“We have booked the two women under the Juvenile Justice Act. The aunt claims they did not want to hurt the child, but only wanted to scare her,” said an officer.