Honour killing: Delhi man drowns pregnant daughter in Chambal river, misleads cops with 'suicide' story
The victim, Khushi, lived with her family in Delhi's Tigri area, though the family originally belonged to Basoni
In a shocking case of alleged honour killing, a father and his relative have been arrested for allegedly drowning the man's pregnant teenage daughter in the Chambal River near Agra, police said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Lakhpat Singh and his relative, were arrested from their residence in south Delhi's Tigri area.
According to police, a PCR call regarding the abduction and murder of the girl was received at Tigri police station, following which a case was registered and an investigation launched.
The probe revealed that Singh, allegedly fearing social stigma after learning that his daughter was pregnant outside marriage, conspired with his relative to kill her. Police said the two took the teenager to the banks of the Chambal River near Basoni in Agra and intentionally drowned her.
The victim's body has not been recovered so far despite extensive search operations. An official said efforts to trace the body are continuing with the assistance of local authorities.
Investigators further alleged that the accused fabricated a story claiming the girl had died by suicide and even showed photographs of a mock cremation to mislead investigators and conceal the crime.
On Wednesday, a joint team of Delhi Police and Agra Police deployed divers and a steamer in the Chambal River as part of the search operation.
Police said the victim, Khushi, lived with her family in Delhi's Tigri area, though the family originally belonged to Basoni. Her family allegedly came to know about her pregnancy around a month ago. Investigators said the teenager was in a relationship with a local minor.
According to police, Singh and his relative brought the girl from Delhi to their native village on July 28 on the pretext of arranging a medical termination of her pregnancy. After spending the night at a relative's house, the trio went to a ghat on the Chambal River the next morning.
Police said the accused first forced the teenager to jump into the river, but when she refused, they allegedly pushed her into the water and drowned her.
