Karnataka man strangles daughter to death over intercaste relationship, stages it as suicide

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A man allegedly strangled his daughter to death and forced pesticide into her mouth so that it would appear to others as though she had taken her own life, and later performed her last rites because she was in a relationship with a young man from a different community, Kalaburagi Police Commissioner Sharanappa S D said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday in Melakunda village of Kalaburagi district in Karnataka. Police said the 18-year-old girl was killed because she was in a relationship with a boy from another community, something her family did not accept, news agency PTI reported.

According to the police, the accused, after committing the act, went ahead with his daughter’s funeral rituals, and the villagers, unaware of the real circumstances, believed it was a suicide.

Initially, local police were told that the girl had died by suicide, but certain details raised suspicion. When officers visited the village and began questioning, they found evidence pointing towards murder.

"The man had opposed her relationship, as he has five daughters. He feared that an inter-caste marriage would affect the marriage prospects of his other daughters," Sharanappa was quoted by PTI as saying.

He further said that Shankar had "tried to persuade the girl through his relatives to concentrate on her studies", but she "remained adamant".

"We suspect the involvement of two more people, who are Shankar's relatives. Investigations are ongoing, and if found guilty, they will be arrested as well," the commissioner added.