A 19-year-old woman was killed on March 7 in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district allegedly by her father and uncle as she was in a romantic relationship with a man from another caste, The Times of India reported.
The young woman was allegedly strangled by her father Dipak Rathod, who, with his brother Lalji Rathod, allegedly secretly and hastily cremated her body at the village crematorium to hide evidence, PTI reported.
The secretive cremation, however, raised suspicion among the girl’s maternal relatives, who questioned Dipak Rathod, prompting him to claim that his daughter had consumed poison.
“He could not give satisfactory answers on detailed questioning, after which kin alerted police,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Mihir Baraiya said.
The police lodged a first information report on March 11 based on a complaint by the woman’s maternal grandfather.
Both men have been arrested on charges of murder, the deputy superintendent of police said.
The 19-year-old had reportedly eloped with her partner, who belonged to another caste, on March 5. When her father found out that his daughter had eloped, he returned to the family’s native village from Surat and brought her back, the police said. On March 7, a heated argument erupted between them over her relationship, during which he allegedly killed her.