Mahasamund (Chhatisgarh): A man allegedly killed his 19-year-old daughter after being suspicious of her 'character' and objecting to her use of mobile phone in Chhattisgarh's Mahasamund district, police said on Sunday.

The accused, Santosh Diwan (42), was arrested from his residence at Kanekara under Kotwali police station limits here on Saturday, Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla said. His daughter Sulochana Diwan was found dead, with multiple head injuries, near a drain in Kanekera area on the city's outskirts on February 1.

The police launched an investigation after registering a case of murder, he said. During the probe, one Chovaram, believed to be a close friend of the deceased, revealed to police that the victim's father doubted her character and was against her use of mobile

phone, the official said.

Chovaram told to police, the accused also used to reprimand his daughter whenever she went outside the house. During questioning, the accused initially tried to mislead the police, but later broke down and admitted to have bludgeoned his daughter to death with a stone, Shukla said.

The accused's younger sister had earlier married a man from a different caste against the family wishes, which he perceived as disrespect to the family. He suspected that his daughter will also do the same, the official said.

On January 31, when Sulochana Diwan reached home late in the night, the accused asked her the reason for the delay but she did not reply. Both had an argument after which the victim went outside the house and her father followed her, he said. The accused caught hold of the victim near Muda nullah and allegedly hit with a stone on her head multiple times, leading to her death, the official said. The accused has been booked under relevant sections, he added.

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