Hyderabad: An alleged case of ‘honour’ killing has occurred in Kulukuntla village of Telengana. A couple allegedly has strangulated their 20-year-old daughter to death. She had refused to undergo abortion and drop plans for marriage with a youth of another caste. The ‘honour’ killing in Jogulamba Gadwal district took place in the early hours of Sunday but came to light much later.
Brutal murder
The girl, a first year degree student, was brutally murdered by her parents Bhaskara Shetty and Veeramma at their house. According to police, they used a pillow to throttle her when she was asleep. They told the villagers that she died of sudden cardiac arrest.
Police action
However, police swung into action on a tip-off and noticed injury marks on the deceased’s neck. The body was shifted for autopsy, which established that she was strangulated.
“We had initially registered the case of death under suspicious circumstances. However, we later altered the section to book the girl’s parents for murder. Both have been arrested and sent to judicial custody,” sub-inspector of police K Sreehari said Wednesday.
Parents against affair
Police investigations revealed that the girl was studying at a private college in Kurnool town of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. She was reportedly in love with a classmate, belonging to another caste. Her parents were against this relationship.
As the victim was not feeling well for the last few days, her parents took her June 6 to a hospital in Kurnool. The examination revealed that she was 13 weeks pregnant. The parents asked the girl to go for abortion but she refused. She also insisted that she will marry the same youth. They returned to the village the same day.
Murder plan hatched
The couple was worried over the bad name the family may get. They felt that it would influence the marriage of their two other daughters. The parents then hatched a plan to kill their daughter.
Shetty and Veeramma, were sleeping along with two daughters in open. However, they woke up past midnight and went into the room where their eldest daughter was asleep and murdered her, the police official said.
Agencies