A 21-year-old woman was allegedly strangled to death by her father over her relationship with a man from another caste in Gujarat’s Khambhat. The accused, identified as Kaushal Ramanlal Patel, allegedly used his daughter’s dupatta to kill her at around 3:30 am on November 9, police said. He has been arrested in connection with the case.
According to the police investigation, Patel had allegedly given his daughter, Sanya, sleeping pills earlier that night. The two later had a conversation about her relationship with Rishi Vyas, whom she reportedly wanted to marry. Her father was opposed to the relationship and had repeatedly asked her to end it.
At around 3:30 am, Sanya returned to the kitchen after taking a bath. According to the police account, her father allegedly asked her what would happen if he strangled her. When she reportedly replied, “Go ahead and do it,” he used her dupatta to strangulate her. Despite her questioning his actions, he continued applying pressure until she collapsed.
Following her death, Patel allegedly told family members that Sanya had died by suicide. At around 5:30 am, he called his uncle and asked him to come home. Other relatives subsequently arrived, and Sanya was taken to Khambhat General Hospital.
On November 9, the hospital informed the police that the 21-year-old woman had been brought in dead. During the initial examination, doctors reportedly noticed inconsistencies between the father’s account and the condition of the body. They recommended a forensic post-mortem examination.
The body was subsequently taken to Shree Krishna Hospital in Karamsad, where the post-mortem report identified ligature strangulation as the cause of death.
Following the findings, police questioned Patel again. According to the police, he allegedly confessed to killing his daughter during questioning.
DySP H.B. Vaghela said Sanya wanted to marry Rishi Vyas, but her father opposed the relationship. Police suspect that the disagreement over her relationship was the motive behind the murder.
Khambhat Town Police have registered a case against Patel under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused has been arrested, and further investigation is underway.