Father drowns daughter to qualify for Maharashtra's 2-child poll norm
What's the story
In a shocking incident, Telangana police have arrested Pandurang Kondamangale, a resident of Kerur village in Maharashtra's Nanded district for murdering his daughter, Prachi. He had thrown the six-year-old in the Nizamsagar canal on January 29. The motive behind this heinous crime was to make him eligible for upcoming gram panchayat elections, which bar candidates with more than two children. A police officer told TOI that Pandurang first had twin daughters, including Prachi. He later had a son.
Co-conspirator nabbed
Current sarpanch also arrested
The current sarpanch of Kerur, Ganesh Shinde, has also been arrested for allegedly helping Pandurang plan the murder. Shinde had encouraged Pandurang to contest the elections and was aware of his disqualification due to having three children. According to Nizamabad Police Commissioner P Sai Chaitanya, both accused initially tried giving Prachi up for adoption before resorting to murder when that plan failed.
Plan
Father planned to report child missing
The man also attempted to change his son's birth certificate, going to the Pune Corporation Office, but was unsuccessful. According to investigators, the accused then devised a plot to eliminate one of his children and report the child missing. As part of the plot, the accused drove her daughter to Nizamabad on his bike and threw her into the canal.
Investigation progress
Case solved within hours of finding body
The case came to light after Bodhan rural police found the body of an unidentified girl in the Nizamsagar canal. A constable uploaded her photograph on WhatsApp to seek information about her identity, which was shared with other police stations. Within hours, Mukhed taluk police identified the girl as Prachi and contacted Telangana police.
Confession revealed
Accused confessed to crime
When contacted by Telangana police, Pandurang gave inconsistent answers to their questions. The police then tracked his mobile phone's location and found he had traveled to Telangana around the time of the incident. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to killing his daughter. According to Commissioner Chaitanya, "On January 29, Pandurang brought Prachi to the Nizamsagar canal and pushed her into the water before returning."