Aluva: A 36-year-old man and his daughter met a watery grave here following the former's bid to kill her.
The deceased were identified as Laiju and his 6-year-old daughter Arya Nanda. The incident happened at the Marthanda Varma bridge along the national highway around 10 am on Thursday.
Arya Nanda was a Class-1 student at the Assisi School, Athani. While she was waiting to board the bus, Laiju took her to Aluva on his scooter. He threw his daughter off the bridge into the river. Then he also jumped into the river, according to the police.
The passersby, who saw the incident, informed the police and the fire force. Two local residents swam after them to rescue the father-daughter but had to return due to strong currents.
A search, later conducted by the fire force and a 10-member scuba team, along with the local people, also turned out to be futile.
Later in the evening, Laiju's body was found near the hotel below the bridge while the body of Arya Nanda was found near Thynoth Kadavu.
The documents found in Laiju's scooter, parked at the bridge, and Arya Nanda's school bag helped to identify the deceased.
After an inquest at the district hospital, their bodies were shifted to the government medical college. The funeral would be held at the Kaprassery SNDP crematorium on Friday afternoon.
In a WhatsApp message sent to a person from his native place, Laiju had said that he was going to jump into the river, according to the police.
Laiju owns a sanitaryware shop at Puthuvassery. His wife is Cherthala native Savitha.
The incident happened as Savitha, who works in Dubai, arrived at the Kochi airport. Their son is a student at the Vidyadhiraja Vidya Bhavan at Aluva.
