A Mumbai woman suspected of killing her daughter for allegedly being in a relationship with her father has been arrested, Hindustan Times reported.
Police said the 36-year-old woman, a resident of Navi Mumbai, strangled her 16-year-old daughter with a dupatta on March 4 at home. The woman then called her husband and told him their daughter had not been feeling well. The father found the girl dead upon returning as neighbours alerted police about the incident.
“We saw some marks on the deceased’s neck that day itself, but due to lack of concrete evidence, we registered a case of accidental death. We then sent the body for a post-mortem. The report has confirmed that the deceased was strangled to death,” SI Dilip Kale said.
Police said the girl was killed on March 4 and a probe was underway to ascertain the father’s role in the incident. Officials were also looking into whether the minor had been sexually assaulted by him, police said. The father of the deceased, a contractor, is yet to be arrested.
“We are not certain if the woman’s suspicions were true. There may be some other reason behind the murder,” a senior police official said.
After autopsy, police handed over the body of the deceased to her parents. They then took the body to their hometown in Rajasthan for final rites. By the time they returned, a report confirming that their daughter had been killed was compiled.
“When they returned on March 21, we summoned them for interrogation. The woman confessed, so we arrested her. She has been booked under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code,” Kale said.
The couple has three other children apart from the deceased: a 20-year daughter and 14-year son who live in Rajasthan and a 12-year-old son who lives with them in Mumbai.
Police are now talking to peers of the deceased, neighbours and relatives to establish the reason behind the killing and determine the role of the father, if any.
“When the accused beat her up a day after the festival of Holi, the girl retaliated and her mother ended up strangulating her with a dupatta,” said Kale and added that they are exploring the possibility of the father protecting the accused despite learning of the crime.
“We will probe his role in the crime. As of now, we have registered an FIR under the Indian Penal Code’s Section 302 (punishment for murder) against the accused woman. She was produced before the Panvel magistrate court on Thursday and has been remanded to police custody till March 27.”
