Karnataka horror: Father strangles daughter over relationship issue; stages it as suicide

A father in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district has been arrested for allegedly killing his daughter and staging it as a suicide.

The incident took place on Thursday, in Melakunda village, over her relationship with a man from another community, Police Commissioner Sharanappa S D said on Friday.

Shankar, the father of the girl, is accused of strangling her and then forcing pesticide into her mouth to make it look like she had died by suicide and later performed her last rites.

“The jurisdictional police received information that an 18-year-old girl died by suicide and her last rites were performed, but there were suspicions about the case,” Sharanappa told PTI.

Local police reached the location to confirm the circumstances, after which Shankar was arrested.

Explaining the motive, Sharanappa said, “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 three daughters.”

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

“Shankar strangled her and poured pesticide into her mouth to make it appear as a suicide. Villagers believed it and participated in the last rites,” the commissioner told PTI.

A forensic team has since been dispatched to collect evidence, and police have registered cases of murder and evidence tampering.

"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," Sharanappa added.