Maharashtra: Ambernath teen dies after consuming poison following scolding over excessive mobile phone use

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The police on Monday said that a 15-year-old girl from Maharashtra's Thane district allegedly consumed poison after being scolded by her mother for spending too much time on the mobile phone and died during treatment, reported news agency PTI.

The Ambernath teen, resident of Ambernath area, consumed a rat poison on September 26. She was then rushed to a local hospital, reported PTI.

As her condition became critical, the Ambernath teen was shifted to a hospital in neighbouring Mumbai where she died on October 2, an official from Ambernath police station said, reported PTI.

Based on the medical report, the police on Saturday registered a case of accidental death, he said.

Thane court acquits man accused in murder case

Meanwhile, a court in Maharashtra's Thane district has acquitted a 33-year-old man arrested in 2019 in a case of murder and robbery, citing lack of incriminatory evidence, reported PTI.

Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal, in the order on September 25, also called for an inquiry into the five-year delay in committing the matter to trial, reported PTI.

A copy of the order was made available on Sunday.

The case against Armogam Raja, a carpenter by profession, was that he and several other accomplices, armed with weapons including a chopper and knife, murdered Ritesh Dharmanarayan Singh while also committing robbery on March 1, 2014, reported PTI.

Three other accused were tried in an earlier court session and were acquitted due to insufficient evidence while two others were discharged from the case.

Raja, who had been absconding, was arrested in 2019 and has been since in custody.

The trial saw the prosecution present several witnesses, who testified that Singh borrowed a vehicle on the night of the incident and failed to return it to the accused, reported PTI.

However, the defence pointed out that the witnesses had not provided any incriminating testimony against Raja, leading to lack of evidence supporting the charges.

The court noted that no witnesses testified against Raja during the trial, and the evidence presented did not establish his involvement in the crime, reported PTI.

Judge Agrawal also requested the chief judicial magistrate to "conduct an inquiry as to why the matter was not committed for a period of five years" and submit a report.

(With inputs from PTI)