Man kills daughter, cremates her and threatens wife, arrested

Police on Friday arrested a man who allegedly strangled to death his 15-year-old daughter, cremated her body and threatened to kill his other children if his wife disclosed the matter to anyone.

The incident, which occurred in South-east Delhi’s Jaitpur area, came to light on Thursday after the girl’s mother confided in a neighbour who called up the police. When the police team reached the spot, the accused father was picked up for questioning. After his confession that he killed his daughter, he was arrested.

“The accused was arrested early on Friday under relevant provisions of law,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-east) M S Randhawa said.

During interrogation, the father confessed to have killed the 15-year-old girl in a fit of rage but denied any form of sexual assault, a suspicion raised by some relatives and neighbours, an official privy to the investigation said. Since the body has been cremated, possibility of sexual assault cannot be verified.

There were reports that the victim’s father used to sexually assault her and had made many videos. So far police have not found any video. “It is suspected that the accused was unhappy with his daughter for being in a relationship with a boy and both often had heated arguments over the matter,” an official close to investigation said. Allegedly during one such quarrel on April 17, the accused strangled his daughter to death. His wife was present in the house at the time of the incident. She was the one who spotted her daughter’s body and accused her husband of killing her. He then threatened his wife that he would kill the other children too if she mentioned about the incident to anyone.

He then cremated the girl, returned home and spread a rumour in the locality that his daughter committed suicide as that she was depressed because she suffered from epilepsy, the official said. “Investigation is underway,” the official added.