The Mahatma Phule police were alerted by neighbours who heard screams from the seventh floor flat in A-7 building in Andharwadi locality at around 10.30 pm.

The police and the firemen, who had to lower themselves from the terrace to enter the flat, found the door and windows bolted from inside and sealed with dough. "All the utensils, books, crockery and furniture lay thrown around," they informed. Deepa Uday Zende was found sitting in the balcony on a chair on top of what was by then the corpse of her daughter Sumitra. They found the other children, Harshavardhana (9) and Mrinalini (11), in the hall trembling with fear.

The children informed the police that their mother had been acting strangely since Monday when she had visited an unidentified godman at the nearby Shankar temple. The sadhu had reportedlytold Deepa that Sumitra's body was possessed by an evil spirit.

"Mother threw Sumitra on her back and began dancing on her chanting har har Mahadeo," Mrinalini said breaking into tears adding, "she hit us when we tried to intervene and also forced us to chant.'' Deepa did not resist when the police led her away to the police station.

When produced before the Kalyan court Deepa said she was convinced of evil spirit's presence in Sumitra. The court remanded her police custody till August 11.

Deepa's husband, Uday Zende, who works with the Hindustan Petroleum, refused to comment. His cousin Arvind Zende who was in Kalyan for Sumitra's funeral denied that Deepa was suffering from mental disorder.