Suspected honour killing victim from Gujarat cracks NEET

Palanpur | An 18-year-old girl from Gujarat, who was a victim of suspected honour killing, has cracked the highly competitive National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), a police official said on Wednesday.

The teen from Banaskantha district was allegedly killed by her father and two uncles on June 24 at her native village, said Danta division Assistant Superintendent of Police Suman Nala.

To prepare for the all-India medical entrance exam, the victim had moved to Palanpur town, and during that time, she got into a live-in relationship with a man.

“She had given NEET a few months back, but it is still unclear if she wanted to become a doctor or a nurse. As per the results announced recently, she has cleared the test with good marks,” said Nala.

Based on a complaint submitted by her live-in partner Haresh Chaudhary, the Tharad police in the district on August 6 booked the girl's father Sendhabhai Patel and uncle Shivrambhai Patel for the murder, as they were against the relationship, Nala said.

After the registration of FIR, police had arrested Shivrambhai and added the name of one Naran Patel to the FIR as co-accused, said the official. “We arrested Naran Patel on Tuesday. He is a cousin of Shivrambhai and Sendhabhai, who is still absconding,” said Nala.

Two weeks ago, police launched a probe into the teenager's death after Chaudhary, a resident of Vadgamda village, submitted an application alleging she might have been killed by her kin as they were opposed to their relationship and wanted to marry her off to someone else, Nala said.

According to the FIR, Chaudhary, who is already married and has a son, fell in love with the girl after he gave her a lift from Tharad town to Palanpur. Nala said it is still unclear if Chaudhary had told the girl about his marital status.

In May, both eloped to Ahmedabad, where they signed a formal agreement for a live-in relationship. They subsequently travelled to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

However, on June 12, a police team from Tharad and a relative of the girl tracked them down to a hotel in Rajasthan.

The girl was handed over to her uncle Shivrambhai, while Chaudhary was arrested in an old case registered in Kutch district under the Prohibition Act.

After coming out of jail on June 21, Chaudhary learnt that the girl had messaged him twice through Instagram on June 17, expressing the fear that she might be killed by her kin or married off to someone else.

Chaudhary told the police he couldn't read her messages earlier since he was in jail. He later contacted a lawyer, who filed a habeas corpus petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking that the girl be produced before the court.

However, on June 25, two days before the hearing, Chaudhary learnt that she had died on the night of June 24 and her last rites were also performed the next morning.

According to the FIR, the girl's father and uncle had decided to kill her, fearing that she might once again elope with the complainant.

“When the girl was at Shivrambhai's house at Dantiya village in Tharad on the night of June 24, she was offered milk containing sleeping pills. When she fell unconscious, the duo strangled her and performed her last rites the next morning to hide their crime,” said Nala.