4-Year-Old Stepdaughter Killed, Buried in Field; Two Arrested

Shahjahanpur: A man and his father have been arrested for allegedly beating his four-year-old stepdaughter to death and secretly burying her body in a field here, police said on Thursday.

The arrests were made about a month after the boy’s death, following a complaint lodged by his mother with Superintendent of Police Saurabh Dixit.

Allegedly, the woman married Akhilesh about 4 months ago after separating from her first husband about 10 years ago.

She alleged that Akhilesh often assaulted her daughter Priya from her previous marriage.

The woman alleged that on May 4, Akhilesh beat the child severely, as a result of which the child died. He then allegedly put the body in a car on the pretext of medical treatment and buried the woman in a field in Kant district before taking her to Ambala.

Dixit said a case was registered against Akhilesh and eight other members of his family on Wednesday night under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police said Akhilesh and his father Surendra Tara have been arrested and efforts are on to trace the remaining accused.

The girl’s body, which was buried about a month ago, will be exhumed and sent for autopsy on Thursday, the SP said.