The accused was granted police custody till September 13 (Representational)

The man who allegedly threw a three-year-old girl off the seventh floor of an apartment building in south Mumbai's Colaba on Saturday has been granted a 5-day police custody. A case of murder has been registered after the girl's death.

The accused, 43-year-old Anil Chaugani, was a neighbour and a friend of the girl's father. He was arrested on Saturday evening and produced in a holiday court today where he was granted police custody till September 13.

The lawyer of the accused has claimed that the girl accidentally fell down and that the accused took her to the hospital as well.

"The kid fell down on its own. In fact the accused took her to the hospital and also informed the police. But the prosecution has alleged that the accused has thrown the child," Sunil Pandey, the lawyer of the accused said.

However, police sources say that the accused had called them and confessed to the crime. A police official told news agency PTI that the accused, who worked at a private firm, appears to be mentally challenged.

Police are investigation the reason behind the alleged crime.

On Saturday, the accused allegedly locked one of the rooms of his friend's flat and flung the girl, Shenaya, out of the window. Her family members were in the flat at the time of the incident, police told PTI.

The girl fell on the bonnet of a car parked below. She was rushed to a hospital where she died later in the night.

The victim has a twin sister and a brother.

(With inputs from PTI)