Suspecting abuse by husband, Andhra woman kills daughters

A 41-year-old woman allegedly murdered her two minor daughters by slitting their throats with a broken glass, suspecting that her husband was “sexually harassing” the elder one, the police said on Thursday.

The woman, identified as Rajani, a housewife, broke a glass bottle and slit the throats of her two daughters – aged eight and three – on Wednesday night at her residence in Teacher’s Colony and left the house, said Tukaramgate Police Station Inspector T Laxmi Narayana. Both the girls died on the spot, he said.

Rajani’s husband, Vinay, a businessman, who returned to the house around 9.30 pm, did not find his wife, but noticed the bodies of his daughters lying in a pool of blood in the bedroom and informed the police, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Gopalpuram Division) K Shiva Kumar said.

“After the incident the woman went to Tank Bund and washed her hands and legs and walked back to their house and surrendered before the police. She confessed of killing her daughters. She was subsequently arrested,” the ACP said.

She suspected that her husband had allegedly been sexually harassing their elder daughter for the past six months, the inspector said, adding that the woman had also confronted her husband over the matter, but he had denied the charge.

“The woman became suspicious after seeing that her elder daughter used to get scared on seeing her father. She had a feeling that her husband sexually harassed their elder daughter,” he said.

After murdering her daughters, Rajani is relieved from the “stress” that her husband would no longer sexually harass her daughters, the ACP said.

“Based on preliminary investigation and after questioning Vinay, we have not found a concrete evidence as of now to prove the allegations levelled against him (Vinay),” he said.

DCP (North Zone) N Prakash Reddy said the girl’s body was sent for medical examination to ascertain if she was sexually assaulted and the report is awaited. “He (Vinay) has been let off after his examination. If any evidence is available we will take further action accordingly,” he said. The police procuced the woman before a local court, seeking her judicial remand. She has bene booked under Section 302 of the IPC and probe is on, police said.