MEERUT: A 12-year-old girl was allegedly beaten to death by her father in Bulandshahr after he found out that she stole a box of candies from a local grocery shop, police said on Saturday. Her mother, Aarti Devi, also suffered injuries when she tried to stop her husband.The incident took place when Pooja Rani, a Class 6 student at a govt primary school, went to buy candies after the Navratri feast on Thursday. There, she allegedly took a box of candies “without paying for it”. When her father, Pushpendra Kumar, a milkman, came to know of it, he repeatedly beat her with sticks. Pooja later died. She was the eldest among four siblings.After the incident, Kumar bolted the house from inside and prevented his wife and children from calling anyone. In the evening, he left the house after locking it from outside. Aarti then alerted the neighbours, who called police the next morning.Aarti said, “In a fit of rage, my husband started beating her with a stick. I begged him to stop, but he hit me too.”SP (rural) Tejveer Singh said, “Based on Aarti’s complaint, a case of murder has been registered against the accused husband. Efforts are on to nab him.”