A four-year-old girl’s drawing has raised serious suspicions regarding the death of her mother, a 27-year-old woman found dead under mysterious circumstances in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday. The child’s account and illustration have led to allegations that her father assaulted and murdered his wife before attempting to stage the crime as suicide, police said.
The deceased, identified as Sonali Budholia, was married to Sandeep Budholia, a medical representative, since 2019. Her in-laws informed her family that she had died by suicide, but her daughter, Darshita, provided an account contradicting this claim.
According to reports, Darshita, who later lit her mother’s funeral pyre, made a statement to the media, alleging that her father had assaulted and killed Sonali.
"Papa assaulted and killed Mummy. He then said, ‘die if you want to.’ He hanged her body and hit her head with a stone. Later, he brought down the body and dumped it inside a sack," she said.
She also alleged that her father had a history of physically abusing her mother and had even threatened to kill her in the past.
"I had told him once that if you touch my mother, I will break your hand. He used to beat her, saying she should die and that I should meet the same fate as her," the child added.
Sonali’s father, Sanjeev Tripathi, a resident of Tikamgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, revealed that his daughter had faced constant harassment for dowry since her marriage.
"On the wedding day, I gave them Rs 20 lakh in cash as dowry, but days later, Sandeep and his family began making new demands. They wanted a car. I told them it was beyond my means, but after that, they started assaulting my daughter. I even approached the police once, and a compromise was reached," he said.
The abuse reportedly intensified after Sonali gave birth to a daughter.
"Sandeep wanted a boy. After the delivery, he and his family abandoned my daughter in the hospital. I had to go to the nursing home to make the payment and take her home myself. Sandeep only came a month later to take Sonali and Darshita back," Sanjeev recalled.
Sonali was last seen attending her cousin’s wedding in Samthar, Jhansi. During the event, Sandeep allegedly called her insisting that she return home.
"This morning, I received a call saying my daughter's health had deteriorated. Shortly after, another call informed me that she had hanged herself. When I reached there, I found out she was already dead," her father said.
The Jhansi Police responded to the scene and sent the body for post-mortem examination. Kotwali City Police Officer Ramveer Singh confirmed that an investigation is underway.
"We received a call about the woman’s death under suspicious circumstances at her husband’s house. Her parents have alleged that she was murdered. The body has been sent for autopsy, and we are awaiting the report," Singh stated.
As the police probe the case, the evidence came from four-year-old Darshita, whose drawing and statement suggested premeditated murder rather than suicide.
In her depiction, she illustrated how her father beat her mother with a stick, strangled her, and later hanged the body to stage the crime.
"Yesterday, he beat Mummy a lot. He hit her with a stick, strangled her, and when I told him to stop, he gagged my mouth. Then he lifted her and threw her down," the child recalled.
Following the post-mortem examination, Sonali was cremated, with her four-year-old daughter performing the last rites.
"My father killed my mother and ran away. That is why I have cremated her," Darshita said. As police continue their investigation, Sandeep Budholia remains missing.
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