Banaskantha teenager's death was a case of honour killing disguised as suicide, heart attack: Police; uncle arrested

Indian Express

3 hours ago

In a horrific twist into the death of an 18-year-old woman two days before she was supposed to appear before Gujarat High Court following a habeas corpus filed by her live-in partner, police have declared the case to be that of honour killing carried out by the teenager's father and uncle.
The Indian Express has learnt that the accused allegedly covered up the murder under two layers: While they told the rest of the family that Chandrika had died by suicide, they sent out a word in the village that the teenager had died of heart attack. This was done in order to obtain a death certificate without the need to answer potential questions arising out of the sudden demise and the fact that the police was not duly informed, said sources.
The FIR filed in the case has alleged that the woman's father Sendha and uncle Shivram had murdered Chandrika by hanging her from the ceiling of their own house.
Sendha Darga Patel and Shivram Darga Patel were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 103(1) (murder), 123 (causing hurt by poisonous substance), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 54 (abettor present).
While the uncle, Shivram, has been placed under arrest, Chandrika's father Sendha is absconding, said police officers.
The inquiry into Chandrika's sudden death in her parental home on the basis of a complaint filed by her live-in partner Haresh Chaudhary began under the leadership of Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Suman Nala on August 1.
The enquiry concluded at 9 am on Wednesday with the police claiming to have received confessions of the murder, and the dual cover-up of suicide and heart attack.
A 'three-layered lie'
When ASP Nala first received the case files, the case looked like a tough nut to crack. There was no body that could have been exhumed for a post mortem. There were no CCTV cameras, either. What made the job even more difficult was the location of the village – Dantiya is an extremely interior village located 23 km from the taluka headquarters of Tharad and 101 km from the district headquarters of Palanpur.
ASP Nala said that police detained seven immediate family members of Chandrika on the first day of the probe. When the police delved deeper into the details of each suspect's story, cracks and gaps began to emerge, she added.
The inquiry team learned that Sedha and Shivram had been primarily involved in Chandrika's murder, said police. ASP Nala said, 'Shivram confessed to the murder and named Sendha as well.'
Chandrika's death had likely taken place on the night of June 24, caused allegedly by hanging.
'Then, Sendha and Shivram called other male relatives and at least four men were involved in bringing down Chandrika's body from where it was hanging at 1.30 am on June 25. However, it is clear that many of these close relatives did not know it was a murder and simply believed that Chandrika had died by suicide,' said ASP Nala.
By 4 am, other members of the family were also told that Chandrika had 'died by suicide'.
'Then, we learnt that the extended family got together and decided to tell anyone who enquired that Chandrika had died a natural death, which would avert the need for any explanations,' said the senior officer.
Chandrika's body was cremated the same morning. Even her brother, who studies in Palanpur, was not called back home for the last rites of his sibling, said the officer.
The family also managed to obtain a death certificate, which was submitted in the Gujarat HC, leading to the disposal of the habeas corpus plea filed by Chaudhary.
While only Sendha and Shivram have been booked for murder in this case, ASP Nala said that more details could emerge after Sendha, who is absconding, is caught and interrogated in this matter.
Case background
The FIR, filed on Wednesday based on a complaint by Haresh Chaudhary, described that he first met Chandrika in February when she asked him for a ride to Palanpur. They soon fell in love and Chaudhary described before police how Chandrika's family had turned down her request to let her study nursing and instead, decided to marry her off.
According to the FIR, Haresh and Chandrika eloped on June 4 and signed a contract of live-in relationship at the Mirzapur court in Ahmedabad the next day. They then travelled to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. While they were at a resort in Rajasthan, the police arrived with a relative of Chandrika on June 12 and took her along with Chaudhary to Tharad Police station in Banaskantha. There, Chandrika was handed over to her relatives while Chaudhary said he was arrested in an old assault case and given bail. However, by this time, the Bhachau police arrived from Kutch and arrested him in a liquor case.
The FIR further stated that he received bail from court on June 21. Upon checking his phone, Choudhary saw messages from Chandrika pleading with him to 'save her because her family wanted to marry her off and would kill her if she didn't agree.'
On June 23, Chaudhary's lawyer filed a writ of habeas corpus in the Gujarat HC, leading to an order asking police to present her in court on June 27. However, Chaudhary said that on June 25, he learnt that Chandrika had died. He then wrote an application to the police seeking an inquiry into her death.
When the petition came up for hearing on June 27, the HC was informed that Chandrika had died. Following this, the bench of Justice Vaibhavi Nanavati disposed of the plea.
'On August 6, I was informed by the police that Chandrika's uncle Shivram, after learning that she would again attempt to elope, had fed her dinner laced with sleep medication on June 24. Then, her uncle and father killed her… to make it look like a suicide,' said the FIR.