An investigation has been opened by the Criminal Brigade following the death of a young girl in Akamasoa. Her father is suspected of beating her with a broomstick handle. Father Pedro intervenes amid the crowd to restore calm.
Deadly Blows. A 26-year-old man has been taken into custody at the Criminal Brigade in Anosy, suspected of fatally beating his 8-year-old daughter on Sunday, July 26, in Akamasoa, in the municipality of Ambohimangakely. Around 3:10 p.m., children witnessed him violently striking the girl with a broomstick handle, allegedly because she had lost a 5,000 ariary note. The girl lost consciousness and was taken to the clinic, where she died shortly after. A forensic examination conducted at the District Reference Hospital (CHRD) in Ambohimangakely revealed a cervical spine fracture and severe injuries, according to initial investigation findings.
The victim lived with her father. Her mother is currently imprisoned at the central prison in Antanimora in another case. According to the investigation, the man was not a resident of Akamasoa and was intoxicated at the time of the incident. The lost money appears to have been merely a pretext.
Indignation. Investigators also suspect the father of repeatedly committing violence against his daughter. They are particularly seeking to determine whether the child was about to confide in her grandmother.
A neighbor recounts: "That Sunday, I met the girl while she was holding 1,000 ariary in her hand. Shortly after, she went home and started crying. I asked her why. She told me: 'My father hit me. He says I lost 5,000 ariary.' Then she played with my older daughter. In the afternoon, her father arrived with a stick. He approached the children, grabbed his daughter by the collar, and threw her to the ground. Her neck broke and all her teeth were loose. I went to the clinic, where she looked at me for a moment before closing her eyes. Later, at the CHRD, the police chief told me that the investigation involved suspicions of rape and homicide. According to him, the body already showed injuries dating back about two days."
Around 4:04 p.m., police alerted the gendarmes as an angry crowd gathered outside the police station where the suspect was being held. Eight police officers attempted to protect the premises. They were joined by gendarmes from Ambohimangakely and Soamanandrariny, under the command of the brigade commander. Tensions escalated as residents expressed their outrage and grief. Calm was finally restored through the intervention of Father Pedro, founder of the Akamasoa community. After discussions with authorities, residents agreed to disperse.
Gustave Mparany