Tripura, 18 Dec 2025: In a shocking incident, the blood-soaked body of an eight-year-old minor girl was recovered from her house on Wednesday night in West Sonatala Panchayat, near Mahadevtilla Market, under Khowai police station limits.
The deceased has been identified as Ankhi Debnath (8). Preliminary investigation revealed multiple injuries caused by a sharp weapon on her neck. The girl’s father, Ashish Debnath (40), has been accused of murdering his own daughter.
According to sources, the incident came to light around 9 pm when Ankhi’s grandfather, Binanda Debnath, a tomtom driver by profession, returned home and repeatedly called out to his granddaughter. Receiving no response, he entered the house and found the child lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
Family members and neighbors alleged that Ashish Debnath had been suffering from mental illness for the past four to five years. It was also reported that Ankhi’s mother had recently left the house, abandoning the child, due to her inability to live with her mentally unstable husband.
At the time of the incident, Ankhi’s grandmother was present in the house. However, she is also reportedly mentally unstable.
After committing the crime, Ashish Debnath allegedly fled the house and went into hiding in nearby jungle areas. Acting swiftly on the information, police launched a search operation and arrested the accused around 1:00–1:15 am from a dense forest behind his house.
Confirming the incident, Officer-in-Charge of Khowai Police Station, Krishnadhan Sarkar, said that police received information about the murder between 9:00 and 10:00 pm. A team immediately rushed to the spot and found the minor girl’s throat partially slit, with her body lying in a bloodied condition.
The police informed senior अधिकारियों and requested the mobile forensic team, which reached the spot during the night. On Thursday afternoon at around 12 noon, a special forensic team began a detailed on-the-spot investigation to ascertain how the murder was carried out.
The accused has been taken into police custody, and further investigation is underway. Police said legal proceedings have been initiated, and the case is being treated as a heinous crime involving the murder of a minor child.
