In a horrifying incident in Maharashtra, a man allegedly strangled his daughter and then attempted to stage it as a suicide in the Jalna district. This is not an isolated event, as other similar cases have been reported in the state.
In August 2025, a 45-year-old man in the Hingoli district allegedly smothered his 17-year-old daughter to death with a pillow while she was asleep. The motive behind this heinous act was her refusal to marry a relative's son. According to the police, the man, identified as Syed Shaker, had arranged for his daughter to marry a relative's son, but she opposed the decision, leading to frequent arguments at home. On the night of the incident, Shaker allegedly gave his wife sleeping pills along with her regular medication to ensure she remained asleep. He then went to his daughter's room and suffocated her with a pillow. After killing his daughter, Shaker attempted to take his own life. He first tried to slit his wrist and stab himself in the chest, but when those attempts failed, he hanged himself.
In another incident, a man in Lonavala allegedly strangled his wife and daughter to death in 2017. The man, Baban Jaywant Dhindale, suspected his wife of having an affair and killed his wife and daughter before hanging himself.
In August 2024, a man in the Palghar district allegedly killed his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter by making her consume rat poison and then committed suicide. The man, Adhinath Rokde, had frequent quarrels with his wife as he suspected her of having an affair. He brought his daughter to his house and gave her rat poison before consuming it himself. The child died on the way to the hospital, and the man died two days later.
These incidents highlight the disturbing trend of men resorting to violence against their own family members, often due to issues such as suspicion of infidelity, disputes over arranged marriages, or other domestic conflicts. These cases underscore the urgent need for greater awareness and intervention to address the root causes of domestic violence and prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.