Delhi: Father kills 10-month-old daughter over cost of raising second girl child, fakes kidnapping

A 25-year-old man allegedly drugged his family members and killed his 10-month-old daughter as he was unable to bear the financial burden of raising a second girl child, a police officer said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Deepak, strangulated the infant, dumped her body in the septic tank of his house and fabricated a kidnapping story to mislead the police in Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy area, he said.

Her body was later recovered after Deepak confessed to his crime during interrogation.

Police said the accused had initially claimed that the child had gone missing from the house while stepping out to buy milk and biscuits on Saturday.

Deepak also told police that when he returned, he found his wife, Surya, and their elder daughter unconscious and his 10-month-old girl missing.

According to police, a call regarding the alleged kidnapping was received on May 24.

''A massive search operation due to the sensitive nature of the case was launched. Multiple police teams were formed immediately, and CCTV footage around the locality was scanned to trace the infant and identify possible suspects,'' Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North district) Hareshwar Swami said in a statement.

During the probe, investigators found glaring inconsistencies in Deepak's version of events. A detailed analysis of CCTV footage failed to support his claim that he had gone outside when the child was kidnapped, Swami said.

Additionally, Deepak's father had said that when his son returned home, he could not find the infant.

''We then called people from the neighbourhood and started searching for her, but we could not find her. We informed the police, and a massive hunt was launched,'' Deepak's father said.

During questioning, Deepak allegedly confessed that he was under financial distress and felt incapable of bearing the expenses of raising another daughter.

''His movements could not be corroborated through any footage collected from nearby areas. Suspecting foul play, the teams intensified questioning and subjected the accused to sustained interrogation,'' the DCP said.

Following his confession, a team was immediately sent to his house to recover the child's body. The recovery operation was conducted in the presence of forensic and crime teams, the officer said.

Police subsequently added Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to the case and arrested the accused.

Police said Deepak, a resident of Mukundpur in Bhalswa Dairy, had studied till class 12 and worked as a school van driver for a private school.

Another police officer said investigators are also examining whether any other family members had prior knowledge of the crime or helped Deepak conceal evidence. Statements of family members and neighbours are being recorded as part of the probe.

''We are also probing the drug angle in the matter, as the family had claimed that they were unconscious. Teams are working on multiple angles,'' the officer said.

Meanwhile, locals raised suspicions about the family members.

''We searched every single house along with the police personnel. Every single person in the area was helping the family, but the family members kept misleading people as well as the police,'' a resident said.

She also said the police worked throughout the day and checked every house in search of the toddler.

''We appreciate the efforts made by the police, but now we demand strict action against the accused,'' she said.

Another resident termed the incident a ''heinous'' crime and demanded strict punishment for the accused father.

''We received a call around 9 am that the girl had gone missing. Everyone in the locality joined the search, and the police also worked very hard. But now it has emerged that the father killed the child. It is a horrifying and heartbreaking murder. In India, where girls are worshipped, a father killed his own daughter just because he could not bear the expense of raising another girl,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)