Man ‘injects’ daughter with pesticide, ‘throws’ her in canal

“Dharmesh Devipujak had initially approached the police on July 9 with complaint stating that his daughter is missing… Initially the accused told us a fake story that on July 8 morning, he left from his village Khoda to Sanand town with his daughter to buy her a bicycle. He then claimed he did not purchase her a bicycle in Sanand town and only had lunch with her and then boarded a state transport bus back for his village. He then claimed that midway his daughter created a scene demanding bicycle and he de boarded the bus at Vasna bus stand. He then claimed that a Maruti Eeco van arrived at the spot and offered him lift till Khoda village. He further added that the Eeco van driver offered chocolate to him and his daughter due to which he slept off. He then claimed that he woke up in Lakhtar Taluka road side and his daughter was missing,” said HB Gohil, police inspector, Sanand town police station.

“We started checking CCTV footage of bus stands and also with the state transport buses that had crossed the Vasna bus stand but we couldn’t get any details about a man and his daughter travelling in them. Then we cross questioned Dharmesh again and he confessed that he was lying all this while. He told us that he has had two divorces in the past and he wanted to marry again. According to him, due to a seven year old daughter with him, he was finding it difficult to get a bride. So he decided to kill her off,” said Gohil.

“The accused purchase pesticide from a shop around seven days ago along with an injection. The accused then injected the pesticide in the child but she did not die. Then on July 8, the accused went to Sanad town with his daughter, he then took a bus from Sanand town to Hansalpur village. The accused then took an autorickshaw and went to Narmada canal near Hansalpur village. He found a small bridge on the canal and pushed his daughter in the canal around 2:30 pm,” said Gohil.