Stepfather Throws 9-Year-Old Child Into River After Wife Gets Pregnant; Body Retrieved

A man in India was arrested Tuesday for killing his 9-year-old stepdaughter by throwing her into a river.

The body of the child was retrieved from the Panchganga river in the western state of Maharashtra on Tuesday morning, and the accused was identified as Yuvraj Salokhe.

Salokhe, who worked at a silver ornament factory, had recently married the divorced mother of the victim. At the time of the marriage, he promised the woman to take care of her daughter from the previous marriage. However, when the woman got pregnant with Salokhe’s child, he started fighting with his wife over the older girl, The Times of India reported.

Salokhe, who had not accepted his wife’s daughter, decided to get rid of her. On Sunday, while the child was playing alone, he took her on a bike ride and decided to leave her in a remote place.

When the girl began crying, he put her back on the bike and then threw her into the river, Maharashtra Times reported [Google Translate showed].

After he returned home, his wife told him the girl was missing. Salokhe pretended to search for the girl and filed a missing complaint with the local police. He also got involved in the search operation.

However, the police got suspicious and questioned him on Monday, following which Salokhe confessed he had thrown the girl into the river.

While the search for the girl in the river began Monday, the operation had to be halted at night. The child’s body was first located by the rescue team of the local administrative government Tuesday. After the body was retrieved, it was sent for an autopsy.

The police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Last month, a man in the eastern state of Odisha allegedly beat his 15-year-old stepdaughter to death for talking on the phone at night. Authorities said the man tried to kill himself after the teenager died. He was later admitted to a local hospital in critical condition after he was rescued by his second wife. The accused had mercilessly beaten the girl with a wooden plank in a fit of rage.