Girl killed by stepmother in UP's Bareilly

BAREILLY [UP]: A seven-year-old girl was allegedly strangled by her stepmother in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, police said on Saturday.

In his complaint to the police, the victim's father accused his wife of killing his daughter from his first marriage, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rajkumar Aggarwal said. The accused, Bharti, admitted to committing the murder and has been arrested, he added.

The victim's mother died three years ago and her father Ghanshyam married Bharti, who had two sons from her first marriage, Circle Officer Dr Tejveer Singh said. When Ghanshyam could not find his daughter after returning home on Friday afternoon, Bharti told him that she was sleeping. After failing to wake his daughter, Ghanshyam took her to a private hospital where doctors declared her dead. During the preparations to bury the girl, women from the village noticed marks on her neck and the police were informed.

When Bharti was called in for interrogation, she admitted to murdering the girl. Bharti was ostensibly envious of Ghanshyam paying more attention to his daughter than his stepsons, Singh added.