Ex-Army man held for strangling daughter in Samastipur, stepbro on the run

Patna: A 20-year-old woman was strangled allegedly by her father in a Samastipur village on Thursday over her relationship with a youth.
Victim Sakshi's mother, Pramila Devi, lodged a complaint in this regard with the local Moiuddinnagar police station, accusing her husband Mukesh Singh, an ex-Army man, of killing their daughter with the help of his son from his first marriage. The accused father was arrested, while stepbrother is absconding, police said.
They recovered Sakshi's body from the bathroom of her house, and sent it for postmortem.
According to the police, Sakshi had been in a relationship with a youth from a neighbouring village, belonging to a different caste, for the past three-four years. "They were both graduation students. As both the families were against their relationship, Sakshi left for Delhi with the man on April 4. The youth arranged for Sakshi's stay at his relative's house in Delhi. Upon knowing about Sakshi's whereabouts, her cousin brought her back home on April 8," said an officer.
Patori subdivisional police officer (SDPO) B K Medhavi said Mukesh's both wives live on the same campus, but in separate houses.
"On the day, Sakshi's stepbrother Tunnu brought her back to his house on the instructions of their father, after which Mukesh strangled her. He placed the body in the bathroom and locked it from the outside, before going to his second wife Pramila's place. When Pramila asked about Sakshi's whereabouts, Mukesh gave vague answers, which raised her suspicions, prompting her to inform the police," said Medhavi, adding the father later admitted to the crime. "Raids are being carried out to nab Tunnu and the cousin, Puttu Singh."