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‘Pappa killed mumma’: 4-year-old girl ‘draws’ alleged murder of mother
The incident, which took place in Jhansi's Kotwali area, came to light when the woman's in-laws informed her family that she had died by suicide.
A 27-year-old woman was found dead in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, earlier this week from a suspected suicide. However, her four-year-old daughter illustrated through her drawing that her father allegedly killed her mother, reported India Today.
The woman's family accused her husband and in-laws of murder after years of harassment, police said.
The incident, which occurred at Panchavati Shiv Parivar Colony in the Kotwali area, came to light when the woman's in-laws told her family she had died by suicide. However, a drawing and statements from her daughter indicated she was murdered by her husband and her body was hanged to make it appear as a suicide.
"Papa assaulted and killed mummy. He then said 'Die if you want to'. He hanged her body and hit her head with a stone. Later, he brought down the body and dumped it inside a sack," the woman's daughter, who later lit the pyre, told reporters while showing a drawing of the alleged assault, according to India Today.
The child claimed her father had previously threatened to kill her mother. "I had told him once that if you touch my mother, I will break your hand. He used to beat her, saying she should die and that I should meet the same fate as her," she said.
The police have initiated an investigation and sent the woman's body for autopsy. The husband was arrested after a manhunt, and a search is underway for the other accused.
‘Troubled marriage since 2019’
The woman's father, Sanjeev Tripathi from Tikamgarh district, said his daughter and Sandeep married in 2019, but their relationship has been troubled since then. He explained that he had given ₹20 lakh in cash as dowry on the wedding day, but soon after, Sandeep and his family began making further demands, including a car.
"I told them it was beyond my means to buy them a car. He and his family then started assaulting my daughter. I even approached the police, and we had reached a compromise," he said.
The couple had a daughter, but issues continued to arise, with the woman's in-laws mocking her for not having a son. "When she gave birth to a daughter, they taunted her for not having a son. After her delivery, they left her at the hospital, but I paid the bills and brought her home," he added.
The woman's daughter also gave a statement and drew a picture of the events she had witnessed. "Papa hit mumma, then papa hanged her. He hit her on the head with a stone and then put her in a sack and threw her away," she said.
