A 21-year-old woman was strangled to death allegedly by her parents after they found pregnancy test kits with her in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.
The couple, with the help of their two relatives, poured acid on the body so that it couldn't be identified and then dumped it, they alleged, adding all four have been arrested.
Father Reported Daughter Missing After Killing Her
Naresh, a resident of Tenn Shah Alamabad village here, had lodged a missing report of his daughter on February 3. On Tuesday, her mutilated body was recovered from a canal outside the village.
Police Superintendent Brijesh Kumar Srivastava on Wednesday said that during the investigation, it was found that Naresh and his wife Shobha Devi had strangulated their daughter on February 3 in their house.
"To hide the identity, they poured battery acid on the body. Naresh's two brothers Gulab and Ramesh also helped them in hiding the body," the SP said.
Naresh was Angry Because Daughter Used to 'Talk to Many Boys'
Naresh had told the police that his daughter used to talk to many boys on mobile phone. "Some pregnancy test kits were also found from her due to which Naresh suspected that his daughter had a relationship with some boy and was angry over this," the SP said. The parents and the father's brothers who helped them hide the body have been arrested and are in police custody.
Last month, a 22-year-old girl was killed by her father and three brothers for having an affair in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri district. After killing the girl, the accused reportedly buried her body in a neighbouring empty house, reported The Times of India.
Honor killings are acts of violence, usually murder, committed by male family members against female family members who are perceived to have brought dishonor to the family. Sadly, honor killings are a common occurrence in Uttar Pradesh with the state accounting for over 30 percent of honor killings in the country, according to a survey conducted by AIDWA.