In another shocking case of honour killing, a 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by her father, with the help of his friend, in a Mira road jungle.

The girl, who had been living at Uttan in Bhayander after running from her hometown in Komalpur village in Uttar Pradesh, had married a man outside her community.

After her father, Ramesh Rajbhar, 45, came to know of his daughter’s marriage, he asked her to come to his friend Shiv Chandra Rajbhar’s residence in Kashimira, Mira Road. Once there, he told her that he wanted to make amends, and asked her to return home. When she refused, an infuriated Ramesh took her to a jungle in Kashimira where both the men raped and murdered the girl.

The Kashimira police cracked the case after sub-inspector Vilas Mate, who was on night duty, overheard a conversation between two waiters in a Mira Road restaurant.

One of the waiters, a relative of Shiv Chandra’s, said a man had come from UP in search of his daughter, who had eloped with a man from another community. He said both Ramesh and Shiv Chandra had gone into the jungle with the girl, but when they got out, she wasn’t with them.

“This conversation raised our suspicion and we took Shiv Chandra into custody, where he confessed to having committed the crime. We found the dead body in a national park in Kashimira,” a police official said.

“The men revealed that they had raped the teenager, strangled her to death with her dupatta and covered the dead body with dried leaves before fleeing. We have found the decomposed body and conducted a postmortem,” said Mate, the investigating officer from Kashimira police station.

He added that the duo has been arrested under sections 376(2)(g) (gang rape), 302 (murder) and 201 (destroying evidence) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. They have been remanded in police custody till November 15.

The police are trying to locate the girl’s husband, who is missing.

How duo was caught Sub-inspector Vilas Mate overheard a conversation between two waiters. One of the waiters, a relative of Shiv Chandra’s, said a man had come from UP in search of his daughter, who had eloped with a man. He said both Ramesh and Shiv Chandra had gone into the jungle with the girl, but she didn’t come back with them.