18-Year-Old MBBS Aspirant Murdered by Her Father and Uncle in an Honour Killing in Gujarat; Live-In Boyfriend Received Final "Save Me" Text

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An 18-year-old woman was murdered in an honour killing in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on June 24, according to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Suman Nala. The case followed a complaint by her live-in partner, Harish Chaudhary, who alleged the murder was due to the family’s opposition to their relationship. Two people, including her uncle, have been arrested, while the victim’s father, Sendhabhai Patel, remains absconding.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), her father and uncle decided to kill her, fearing she might elope again with Harish. The victim sent a text to Harish on June 24, stating, “Come and get me; otherwise, my family will get me married against my will. If I don’t agree to the marriage, they will kill me. Save me.” Hours later, she was found dead.

ASP Nala confirmed the murder was planned and executed by the victim's father and uncle. A senior police official revealed the duo offered her milk laced with sleeping pills, strangled her after she fell unconscious, and performed her last rites the next morning.

Harish told police, “her uncle, Shivram, visited some colleges and saw boys and girls studying together. He told her father she should not be sent there as she might fall in love with a boy and marry him. They took away her phone, cut her off from social media, and made her do only household chores.”

The family’s actions raised suspicions, as they cremated her body quickly without informing close relatives, including her brother studying in Palanpur. ASP Nala stated, “She was hurriedly cremated. No close relatives were called after the death, not even her brother, who is studying in Palanpur. This led to a suspicion that the family was trying to hide something.”

Days before her death, she had left home with Harish, but police located them after her family filed a missing person complaint. Authorities returned her to her family. Harish filed a habeas petition in court after receiving her text, but she died before the hearing. Her family presented a death certificate claiming she died of natural causes. Harish was suspicious so he submitted a written request to the police, urging them to investigate her death.

The victim was preparing for an all-India medical entrance exam in Palanpur, where she got in a live-in relationship with Harish. She had recently cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) with a score of 488. A police official noted it remains unclear whether she aimed to become a doctor or a nurse. [Rh/Eth/VS]

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