A couple were arrested on Sunday on charges of murdering their 16-year-old daughter, who had fallen in love with a 25-year-old man, and dumping her body in a lake at Bagalur in Krishnagiri district. A relative, who allegedly assisted them in the crime, was also taken into custody.
According to the police, the couple – Prakash and Kamakshi – had lodged a complaint on Saturday stating that their daughter’s body was found floating in the lake.
Rani, Inspector, Nallur police station, who is also the investigating officer of the case, told The Hindu that the victim, a Class XI student, was in a relationship with Siva of Muthali village. The two had eloped two years ago, and a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act was registered against the man. However, their families, who belong to the same Scheduled Caste community, had agreed to perform their marriage once the girl becomes a major.
Crime specifics
However, on the night of March 13, the victim was confronted by her parents and her aunt Meenakshi, and was warned against meeting Siva. In an altercation and tussle that ensued, she was allegedly pushed by her aunt and her mother, and her father strangled her to death. They then concealed the body in a gunny bag, carried it to a lake and dumped it, the police said.
On Friday morning, Prakash had called Siva and told him that his daughter was missing, and enquired if she was with him. Siva had joined the family in the search and at night, Prakash subsequently led a search to the lake where the body was found.
Complaint lodged
“They [the parents] lodged a complaint on Saturday after the body was retrieved. Initially, we filed an FIR under Section 174 (unnatural death, in this case death by drowning). But the inquest revealed the cause of death as strangulation. The police cracked the case after going through the footage of a CCTV camera in the victim’s neighbourhood. The footage, on the night of the murder, had recorded the couple riding a two-wheeler with a gunny bag placed between the rider and the pillion rider. Prakash was earlier into sale of gunny bag sales,” said Ms. Rani.
The accused, upon interrogation, claimed that they felt “humiliated” by their daughter’s actions, which prompted them to commit the crime, the police said.
On Sunday morning, the case was altered to Sections 302 (murder) and Section 201 (destruction of evidence). The three accused were arrested and remanded.
