CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A 45-year-old man allegedly smothered his 17-year-old daughter to death with a pillow while she was asleep after she refused to marry a relative’s son, before ending his own life in Hingoli district early on Wednesday morning.The incident came to light on Wednesday morning when the girl’s mother and her two brothers, aged 12 and eight, woke up for the day.

Hingoli superintendent of police Shrikrishna Kokate, citing the preliminary investigation, said Syed Shaker, who worked as a driver, had decided to marry off his eldest daughter to a relative’s son. “The girl, however, objected to the arrangement. On Wednesday morning, the man allegedly killed his daughter by suffocating her with a pillow while she was asleep, fearing the social stigma of calling off the marriage. He then took his own life by hanging,” SP Kokate said.Police investigations revealed that the teenager’s refusal to marry the chosen groom led to frequent arguments at home over the past three days. “On the night of Aug 19, the man allegedly gave his wife, who was suffering from diabetes and hypertension, 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 while she was asleep,” an officer said, citing the investigation.His two sons were also asleep in the house at the time of the crime. “Overwhelmed by remorse and anguish, the man then made several attempts to end his own life. Initially, he tried to slit his wrist and stabbed himself in the chest, but these attempts failed to cause any fatal harm. Eventually, he resorted to hanging himself, which ultimately led to his death,” the officer said.The bodies were sent for post-mortem to govt hospital in Hingoli before being handed over to relatives for burial. Following a complaint lodged by the deceased man’s brother, the Hingoli City police registered a case of murder against the deceased man under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).