Man held for killing daughter, her lover in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW - In a case of suspected honour killing, a man in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district allegedly murdered his daughter and her lover, police said Tuesday, adding he has been arrested.

Ramesh Chaudhary, a resident of Khera village in Hamirpur, was held Monday for killing his 20-year-old daughter Priyanka and 30-year-old Santosh Kumar. Hamirpur is some 300 km from here.

“Ramesh has confessed that he strangulated the couple on May 16 with the help of his two servants, who have also been arrested. Ramesh also admitted that he committed the crime to safeguard the honour of his family,” police inspector Nayan Singh told reporters in Hamirpur.

On Sunday, police recovered Kumar’s body from a field in Khera village. And on a complaint by his father, police registered a case of murder against unidentified people and initiated an enquiry.

Police are yet to recover Priyanka’s body. According to Chaudhary, her body was thrown into the Betwa river after she was killed, police said.

“Evidence gathered by us brought Ramesh Chaudhary under the scanner. When we questioned him, he confessed to committing the crime with the help of his two servants Badan Singh and Kandhi Lal. Ramesh’s slippers and the rope used to strangulate the two have been recovered from his residence,” said Singh.

According to the police, Priyanka and Kumar, who used to give her private tutions, were in a relationship for the last several months.