Kalyan: The Bazarpeth police in Kalyan arrested a 52-year-old man five days after he allegedly murdered his newly married daughter for marrying against his wishes.
The accused, identified as Vinod Vasaikar, was arrested on Saturday following an intensive search operation launched after the murder of his daughter, Gayatri Shinde, came to light earlier in the week.
The incident was reported on Monday evening from the Parekarwadi area of Kalyan, where Gayatri was found lying in a pool of blood inside her parental home. Police suspect that she was attacked with a sharp weapon, as multiple grievous injuries were found on her body.
According to police, Gayatri married her boyfriend despite strong opposition from her father. Assistant police inspector Tulsiram Rathod of Bazarpeth police station said preliminary investigations revealed that Vasaikar was against the relationship and twice attempted to arrange marriage for his daughter with other prospective grooms. However, Gayatri refused both proposals and eventually married the man she loved.
"Despite his objections, the family had to accept the marriage. Gayatri got married in Nov last year and recently came to her parental home for the first time after her marriage," Rathod said.
Police said the accused allegedly committed the crime when Gayatri was alone at home. The incident came to light when her mother returned from work and found her daughter lying in a pool of blood.
She immediately alerted the police.
During the investigation, suspicion fell on Vasaikar after CCTV footage allegedly showed him leaving for work in the morning, returning home shortly thereafter and later leaving the building in a hurried manner. He has been absconding since the incident.
A police team tracked him down and arrested him on Saturday. The accused works as a plumber and electrician. Police said he lives with his wife, daughter Gayatri and son, with Gayatri being the elder sibling.
Police registered a case of murder and are carrying out further investigations.