In a shocking incident, a 28-year-old woman from Chennai's Selaiyur strangled and then threw her six-year-old stepdaughter from the third floor of her apartment, in order to make it look like an accidental death.

The child's father was married to her mother until she passed away in 2015 due to an illness. He then married the accused, Suryakala, in 2016, with whom he has a one-year-old boy. "When Suryakala's husband had gone to his friend's house on Tuesday, he was told that his daughter was missing for more than three hours. When he returned home, a weeping Suryakala told him that the girl was missing since 2 pm. After an hour-long search, Parthiban traced his daughter's body outside the apartment where she lay dead. As the body was lying close to the wall, he thought the child could have fallen from the terrace while playing," an official involved in the case reportedly told a news agency.

Suryakala apparently decided to perform the heinous act after she informed her husband of her pregnancy. He allegedly asked her to go through an abortion as he felt that two kids were enough. Infuriated, the accused strangled the innocent child and then threw her out the third floor, to make it look like an accidental death.

Suryakala, who initially pleaded innocent, later confessed to the crime after the police grew suspicious of her contradicting answers. A case has been booked on the accused under relevant IPC sections. The child's body has been sent to the Chromepet Government Hospital for post-mortem.