Woman Murdered 8-Month-Old Infant Daughter Before Killing Self To Escape Father's Recurring Rape

An abused woman was allegedly spurred to kill her 8-month-old infant daughter before committing suicide to escape the recurring rape and abuse at the hands of her own father in Gaya district, Bihar, India.

The deaths were reported in the Lakhibagh area under the Mufassil Police Station of Gaya district on Saturday, Sept. 4.

The woman reportedly sought the help of the Senior Superintendent of Police's (SSP) Office and the Women's Police Station regarding her father's recurring assault. However, the officers sent her home dismissing the complaint as a domestic matter. The helpless woman seemingly decided to make a drastic decision after being forsaken by the authorities, Zee News reported.

The victim was found by her husband hanging limp from a ceiling fan and his infant daughter lying dead on the bed at her feet. Out of grief, the woman's husband reportedly also tried to commit suicide but his neighbors managed to intervene.

"My wife's father was continuously raping her. As no one helped her, she went to the SSP office and the women's police station a week ago, but the police thought it to be a domestic matter and sent her home," the victim's husband said.

"Her father raped her again after she returned from the police station. The cops did not understand the gravity of the crime and showed a callous attitude. She became helpless and hence took the extreme step," he added.

The police officers have registered a First Information Report (FIR) on the basis of the statement given by the victim's husband and have launched a manhunt for the victim's father who reportedly fled his home after his daughter's death, K.K. Singh, investigating officer of Mufassil police station confirmed.

In a similar but unrelated incident, a minor girl's brother allegedly committed suicide after he came to know that his sister was raped by his father in the Jalore district of Rajasthan.

The brother came to know of the alleged rape after hearing a 32-minute audio clip of his sister narrating the whole incident to her aunt. He reportedly committed suicide by jumping into the Narmada canal in the Sanchore area of the district on Saturday, Sept. 4, NDTV reported.

In the audio clip, the girl recalled to her aunt that her father took her in his car on the pretext of buying her a mobile phone and proceeded to rape her. She also related that her father had frequently made sexual advances while she would be asleep. She also told her aunt that her mother had scolded her when she shouted at her father over his behavior.

The police officers are on the lookout for the girl's father who has remained at large since the incident came to light.