How a five-year-old girl's sketch helped in finding the murderer of her mother in UP's Jhansi

A married woman was allegedly strangled to death in Shiv Parivar Colony, with her five-year-old daughter exposing the crime through a drawing, police said.

The woman's in-laws initially claimed on Monday that she had died by suicide. However, the victim's daughter informed family members that her father had strangled her mother and even attempted to illustrate the incident through a sketch, officials stated.

Superintendent of Police (City) Gyanendra Kumar Singh said, "The incident took place on Monday evening in Panchvati Colony. Initially, it was reported as a case of suicide by hanging, but a dispute arose between the victim's in-laws and her maternal family at the medical college where they alleged murder."


The victim's family refused to allow a post-mortem until the in-laws were arrested.

"Upon receiving information, police intervened, pacified both sides and sent the body for post-mortem. Based on the complaint, we have registered a case and arrested the primary accused, her husband Sandeep Budholia," Singh said.

"We have arrested Sandeep Budholia and further investigation is underway," he added.

The deceased, identified as 28-year-old Sonali, was married six years ago to Sandeep Budholia, a medical representative.

Sonali had faced harassment for dowry since her marriage, said her father Sanjeev Tripathi, a resident of Lidhoura, Tikamgarh (Madhya Pradesh).

"We had previously filed a case against the in-laws due to their persistent dowry demands and Sonali had been staying with us for two years. Recently, a family-led mediation resulted in a reconciliation and she was taken back to Jhansi," Tripathi said.

"She even tried to depict the act through a drawing, showing her father attacking her mother," Tripathi added.

An FIR has been registered against Sandeep Budholia, his mother Vinita, his elder brother Krishna Kumar Budholia, his sister-in-law Manisha and some unidentified individuals.

(with agency inputs)