'She took it as a joke': Gujarat man strangles daughter over inter-caste relationship

A father named Kaushal Patel (R) allegedly strangled his daughter Saniya (L) after confronting her about her relationship.

VADODARA: A Diwali celebration with the family, a confrontation over her relationship with a man from another caste, and a remark she dismissed as a joke — a 50-year-old man allegedly strangled his 21-year-old daughter with her dupatta hours after warning that he could kill her, police said.Kaushal Patel allegedly murdered his daughter Saniya around 3.15am on Monday at their home in Metpur village of Anand district, after she refused to end her year-long relationship with a village youth. He then allegedly tried to pass off the murder as suicide, taking her body to a hospital and claiming she had died by suicide.Khambhat Town police registered an FIR against Kaushal and arrested him on Monday. He was produced before a court on Tuesday, where police sought his custody for further investigation.

The court rejected the application and remanded him to judicial custody.Police said the family had celebrated Diwali together on Sunday evening before retiring to their rooms late at night. Around 3.15am, while the other family members, including Kaushal's elderly parents, were asleep, he allegedly confronted Saniya in the kitchen over her relationship.Kaushal had repeatedly objected to the relationship because the youth belonged to another caste.

He also considered the man's monthly income of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 inadequate, investigators said. Despite repeated pressure from her father to break up, Saniya continued speaking to the youth over the phone.During the confrontation, Kaushal allegedly told his daughter that he could strangle her. Saniya initially dismissed the remark as a joke, police said. He then allegedly grabbed her dupatta and used it to strangulate her, maintaining pressure until she collapsed on the floor.Family claimed she died by suicideAfter the killing, Kaushal and other family members allegedly attempted to make it appear that Saniya had died by suicide. They took her body to Khambhat General Hospital around 5am, claiming she had killed herself.

However, doctors found the circumstances suspicious and recommended a forensic postmortem. Her body was subsequently sent to Shree Krishna Hospital in Karamsad for examination.The postmortem established that Saniya had died of ligature strangulation caused by compression of the neck. This prompted police to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death and question family members.During questioning, Kaushal allegedly broke down and confessed to the crime. Police also recovered the dupatta suspected to have been used in the murder and other evidence."There was discord between them over her relationship with a man from the village," said inspector P J Bantva of Khambhat Town police station.

Saniya had completed her BCom from Vadodara and was pursuing further studies, police said.