34-year-old man held for raping, killing 10-year-old daughter in Bhiwandi

A 34-year-old unemployed man was arrested for allegedly raping his 10-year-old daughter and strangling her to death in Bhiwandi; the accused, after committing the crime, called his wife from work, telling her to come home and cook dinner for him

A 34-year-old unemployed man was arrested for allegedly raping his 10-year-old daughter and strangling her to death in Bhiwandi.

A 34-year-old unemployed man has been arrested for raping his 10-year-old daughter and killing her in Bhiwandi. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The girl allegedly regularly stopped her alcoholic father from physically assaulting her mother. The accused sexually assaulted the girl, then strangled her to death and called his wife from work, telling her to come home and cook dinner for him.

The girl was home on Thursday as the schools were closed due to heavy rain. Her mother works in a godown in Bhiwandi and had gone for work. The accused had no job and used to be away from home for several days a week. He came home on Thursday. The victim, a Class 6 student, and her mother usually argued with the man for not earning and instead stealing the mother’s money to buy alcohol. The couple had another 12-year-old son who stays with his mother’s family in Telangana.

Chetan Kakde, senior police inspector of Bhiwandi city police, said, “On Thursday, the accused came home drunk at around 5pm after two days, when the girl fought with him. In a fit of rage, he locked the door, raped the girl and strangled her to death with a cotton towel.”

The man then kept a cushion on her face, made her look like she was sleeping and called his wife several times to inquire when she would return.

An officer added, “The mother saw the girl sleeping on the bed when she returned home. The man told her that she was sleeping as she got tired after playing in the rain. Believing it to be true, the woman cooked dinner and went to wake her daughter. She realised that the girl was unconscious and took her to a hospital. The man accompanied her, pretending to care.”

The doctor, on examining the girl, called the police while the man fled the hospital.

Kakade said, “The mother was suspicious of the husband. So, we looked for him and found him within an hour. Initially, he refused killing his daughter but later on confessed to the crime. We have booked him for murder and under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act. He has been remanded to police custody till July 22.”