MYSURU: An anonymous letter to Superintendent of Police Ravi D Channannavar has helped in unravelling a murder case that was committed on February 21.A man had allegedly murdered his 20-year-old daughter, only to save his honour, as she had married a youth belonging to a different caste four months ago.
The girl, identified as Sushmita, was killed allegedly by her father at Gollanabeedu village in H D Kote taluk of the district. While the girl’s father Kumar has been arrested, her mother Jayanti and paternal uncle Kempa (Kumar’s younger brother) — co-accused in the case — are absconding.The girl was allegedly force-fed soft drinks spiked with poison by her father. Kumar later hanged her body from a pole and set it on fire in his fields. He later tilled the land using his tractor to destroy the crime scene.
The girl was in love with Umesh from the neighbouring Halahalli village. Sushmita and Umesh knew each other since high school and were in love with each other. Sushmita’s parents, who got to know about the affair, stopped sending her to college. Sushmita later eloped with Umesh and they got married at Maramma Temple at Hulikere near KRS in Mandya district four months ago.
Following Kumar’s complaint to the village panchayat, the couple was summoned to the panchayat and ordered to stay separately for some time. Sushmita was living with her aunt in Hulikere. Sushmita’s parents thought she had caused a grave insult to the family by marrying out of caste. Sushmita has two younger sisters.
On the day of the incident, Kumar and his wife went to Hulikere and convinced Sushmita to come home on the pretext of celebrating her birthday though it fell on a different date. Kumar, who allegedly took his daughter to a shed in his farm, tortured her throughout the day before forcing her to consume the soft drink spiked with pesticide in the night. He then hanged her body from a pole. Meanwhile, Umesh has gone into hiding ever since Sushmita was killed, said a source.