Bahraich: Woman, two daughters found dead in pond; murder alleged

“Her in-laws constantly taunted and abused her. She had shared with me on several occasions the physical and mental torture she was subjected to. I even tried to counsel my son-in-law,” her father Ramchandra Gupta alleged. He accused the husband and in-laws of murdering Nisha and her daughters and dumping their bodies in the pond.

The bodies of a woman and her two minor daughters were recovered from a pond in the Payagpur town area of Bahraich district late on Saturday night, triggering allegations of domestic harassment and murder over the absence of a male child in the family, police said on Sunday.

Officials said an investigation was underway to ascertain whether the woman and her two daughters died by suicide or were killed. (For representation)

Officials said the woman, identified as Nisha, 35, had been married for 12 years to Vishnu, a resident of Payagpur. The couple had three daughters -- Lado, 10, Mishti, 7, and Khushboo, 2. The bodies of Nisha, Misti and Khushboo were recovered from a pond located behind their house.

Nisha’s father Ramchandra Gupta, a resident of Shivpur village, alleged that his daughter was harassed by her in-laws for not giving birth to a son.

“Her in-laws constantly taunted and abused her. She had shared with me on several occasions the physical and mental torture she was subjected to. I even tried to counsel my son-in-law,” he alleged. Gupta accused the husband and in-laws of murdering Nisha and her daughters and dumping their bodies in the pond.

Vishnu, however, told police that Nisha frequently argued with him. On Saturday evening, around 8 pm, she allegedly spoke to someone on his mobile phone while he was having dinner. “She then left the house along with our seven-year-old and two-year-old daughters. The eldest daughter was sleeping with her grandfather,” he claimed. When Nisha did not return for a long time, the family began searching for her. “We later found a child’s jacket near the pond behind the house, after which I informed the police,” he said.

Police reached the spot around 11.30 pm and recovered all three bodies from the pond. Officials said an investigation was underway to ascertain whether the woman and her two daughters died by suicide or were killed.

Payagpur circle officer Harshita Tiwari said an FIR had been registered against Nisha’s husband and parents-in-law on the basis of her father’s complaint.

“The bodies have been sent for the post-mortem examination. Nisha’s husband and in-laws have been taken into custody and are being questioned. Further action will be taken based on the post-mortem report and findings of the investigation,” the circle officer said.