Kalaburagi, 29 Aug

A man in Karnataka allegedly strangled his daughter, forced pesticide into her mouth to stage it as a suicide, and later performed her last rites because she was in a relationship with a young man from a different community, Kalaburagi Police Commissioner Sharanappa SD said on Friday.

The incident took place on Thursday in Melakunda village here, he added.

“The jurisdictional police received information that an 18-year-old girl died by suicide and her last rites were performed, but there were suspicions about the case,” Sharanappa told PTI.

Local police rushed to the village and confirmed the circumstances, he said. Police have arrested the girl's father, Shankar.

"The man had opposed her relationship, as he has five daughters. He feared that an inter-caste marriage would affect the marriage prospects of his other three daughters," Sharanappa added.

"Shankar strangled her and poured pesticide into her mouth to make it appear as a suicide. Villagers believed it and participated in the last rites," he said.

A forensic team was dispatched to collect evidence, and police have registered cases of murder and evidence tampering.

"We suspect the involvement of two more people, who are Shankar's relatives. Investigations are ongoing, and if found guilty, they will be arrested as well," the commissioner added.