The Ramanagaram Rural police have detained Kempe Gowda of Doddagangavadi village for not reporting his daughter’s death and cremating her just hours after she was allegedly found hanging in their house.
Chandrakala (17) allegedly hanged herself on Tuesday afternoon. The police learnt of the incident only after she was cremated.
Police sources said Kempe Gowda had earlier filed a kidnap case against Dayanand (22), also from the same village, alleging that he had kidnapped Chandrakala. Police sources said that a week ago, Kempe Gowda had brought the girl to the police station. The case was closed after Chandrakala said she had visited a relative’s house.
The police suspect that the girl had eloped with Dayanand and that her family had brought her back. A senior police official said there were also rumours that the two had got married.
Chandragupta, Superintendent of Police, Ramanagaram district, said the circumstances in which the girl was found dead and the subsequent actions by the family were also suspect. “We have taken up a suo motu case of destruction of evidence against the father, and are questioning him,” he said.
