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Rafiabad man arrested for killing 4-year old daughter

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 6/30/2013 11:25:19 AM

SRINAGAR, June 29: Police has arrested a man at of Laiser-Rafiabad for allegedly killing his 4-year old daughter.
Identified as Altaf Ahmad Rather, the accused had allegedly killed his daughter, Muskan, by chocking her mouth and nose. Later, he allegedly slit her throat and hid the body.
This was disclosed by deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, North Kashmir, J P Singh at a press conference at Dangiwacha today.
Giving details the DIG said on June 14 at about 9.30 AM, Altaf along with his elder brother Muhammad Maqbool Rather reported in police station Dangiwacha, Sopore that his eight-year old daughter Muskan is missing from her home since morning and they have been searching her in the village and around and also enquired from relatives but failed to trace her.
“On this a missing report was entered in Police Station Dangiwacha and search was started. In the process of search, on the next day throat slit body of the missing girl child was found in the apple orchard of Abdul Aziz Rather on the outskirts of the village Laisar, Rafiabad,” he said.
Singh added that at the place of recovery of the body a sharp edged knife, a Rs 10 note and an empty jute bag used to carry animal fodder were also recovered and preserved. The body of the victim was got examined by a team of doctors in district hospital Baramulla and later on handed over to the family for last rites.
DIG said a special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of Mushtaq Ahmad (SDPO Sopore) assisted by inspector Muzaffar Ahmad SHO police station Dangiwacha was constituted. During the process of investigation a reasonable suspicion was developed against the father of the victim Altaf Ahmad Rather, who was called for questioning in police station alongwith other relatives of the murdered girl child.
Singh said the girl was last seen in the company of his father and he was asked to explain the circumstances leading to her disappearance and murder. It was found from marriage and medical records that the baby was born in less than nine months after the marriage of her parents. This made the father to suspect him not being her biological father. Over a period of time this developed into an extreme hatred. Another motive of killing his own daughter was his greed as he was expecting cash compensation from government once his daughter was discovered. He wanted to blame militants for the killing since his wife was a Panch (village panchayat member). And on the fateful day he sent his wife to take their son to doctor in Sopore for medical consultation. Once his wife was gone, he took the girl to the outskirts in the apple orchard area where he choked her by blocking her nose and mouth with his hand and consequently she collapsed and died on spot.
“Thereafter, to mislead the police he slit the throat of her body with a knife and concealed the body in a bag and hid it under the grass and bushes. He also misled police with regard to the age of his daughter, who was only four years old instead of eight years as he claimed,” the DIG added.
The accused was arrested and circumstantial, scientific evidence corroborate his involvement in murder of his daughter.