NEW DELHI: A 25-year-old man killed his 10-month-old daughter in Delhi’s Bhalswa Dairy area as he was unable to bear the financial burden of raising a second girl child, police said on Monday. The accused, identified as Deepak, allegedly strangled the infant, disposed of her body in the septic tank of his house, and later fabricated a kidnapping story to mislead investigators, according to news agency PTI. The child’s body was later recovered after Deepak allegedly confessed to the crime during police interrogation. According to police, the accused had initially claimed that the infant went missing from the house while he had stepped out to buy milk and biscuits on Saturday. Police said a PCR call regarding the alleged kidnapping was received on May 24.“A massive search operation due to the sensitive nature of the case was launched. Multiple police teams were formed immediately, and CCTV footage around the locality was scanned to trace the infant and identify possible suspects,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North district) Hareshwar Swami said in a statement. During the investigation, police found inconsistencies in Deepak’s version of events. CCTV footage collected from the area did not support his claim that he had gone outside when the child allegedly disappeared, police said. Deepak’s father told police that when his son returned home, the infant could not be found.“We then called people from the neighbourhood and started searching for her, but we could not find her. We informed the police, and a massive hunt was launched,” he said.Deepak’s wife Surya said she and their elder daughter suddenly fell unconscious after her husband went out.“His movements could not be corroborated through any footage collected from nearby areas. Suspecting foul play, the teams intensified questioning and subjected the accused to sustained interrogation,” the DCP said. During questioning, Deepak allegedly confessed that he was under financial stress and felt incapable of bearing the expenses of raising another daughter, Swami said. Following the confession, police teams recovered the infant’s body from the septic tank at the accused’s residence in the presence of forensic and crime teams, officials said. Police later added Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to the case and arrested the accused. According to police, Deepak, a resident of Mukundpur in Bhalswa Dairy, studied till Class 12 and worked as a school van driver at a private school. Another police officer said investigators are also probing whether any family members had prior knowledge of the crime or helped the accused conceal evidence. Statements of relatives and neighbours are currently being recorded. “We are also probing the drug angle in the matter, as the family had claimed that they were unconscious. Teams are working on multiple angles,” the officer said.
