Meerut, Nov. 16 -- A four-year-old girl, Zara, adopted by a couple in Amroha district' Qureshi locality, was brutally beaten and strangled to death by her stepmother, Shaista on Saturday. The crime came to light after the post-mortem revealed more than 12 injury marks on the child's body, confirming homicide.

Police on Friday arrested Shaista and sent her to jail following a complaint lodged by the child's father, Mohammad Islam, who had initially rushed his daughter to a hospital after Shaista claimed she was facing breathing issues. Doctors declared the child dead on arrival.

Mohammad Islam, a handloom (carpet) artisan, married Saira nine years ago. The couple, unable to conceive, adopted Zara from Kayyum and his wife Naima of Panju S...