Mother kills teen daughter to save family honour

In a suspected case of 'honour killing', a 45-year-old woman allegedly murdered her 19-year- old unmarried daughter at their house here after she found that she was pregnant.

Muktabai came to know that her daughter, a school dropout, is having an affair with a boy from the same locality in Wadi area and was three-months pregnant, Nagpur Police said in a statement.

She asked the girl to abort but she refused to do so. Fearing that her pregnancy would harm the reputation of the family, Muktabai decided to kill her, it said.

Muktabai strangulated her daughter with a 'dupatta' at their house around two days ago. The accused allegedly tried to destroy the evidence by attempting to cremate her body with the support of other family members, the release said.

Police said some unidentified persons from the locality informed them that the girl had died under suspicious circumstances.

A team of Wadi Police Station led by Woman Sub-Inspector S Kutemate visited the crime spot and suspected foul play. The body was sent for autopsy which revealed that the girl was three-months pregnant and died of strangulation, police said.

The police interrogated the family after which Muktabai broke down and confessed to have killed the girl, the release said.

Muktabai was yesterday arrested and a case under section 302 (murder) of the IPC was registered, it said, adding that further investigations were on.