LUCKNOW, April 21 -- A 34-year-old man was arrested from UP's Gonda by Lucknow Police for allegedly killing his minor daughter, attempting to destroy her identity by pouring acid on her face and then dumping the body into a canal in Barabanki, nearly 50 km from the crime spot, said officials on Monday. "The accused, Vijay Kumar Chaubey, a private bus driver had approached police the through an online complaint (IGRS) on April 16, claiming his daughter had gone missing. However, inconsistencies during the probe and analysis of call records exposed the crime. His associate, Abdul Mannan, 45, who runs a cosmetics shop, has also been arrested," said DCP (east) Diksha Sharma in a presser. "During interrogation, both individuals confessed to their crime. The accused father claimed that his daughter used to talk to multiple boys. In 2025, she had even fled from home with a boy, which enraged the accused," said SHO (Chinhat) DC Mishra. "A case regarding this incident was also registered at the Chinhat police station in Lucknow. Nearly 15 days later, the police located her and handed her over to her family. Even after this, the girl remained in contact with the boy. The angry father hatched a conspiracy to murder her," said police. According to the DCP, the duo took the girl to Sultanpur on April 13 on the pretext of ritual healing. "They travelled in a rented car. On the way, during the night, they stopped at a roadside eatery before returning towards Lucknow the next day. Late at night, while driving along a deserted stretch near Kursi Road, they allegedly strangled the girl to death in the vehicle," the DCP added. During questioning, police said, Chaubey confessed that he was "disturbed" by his daughter's behaviour and feared it would harm his social standing. "After killing her, the accused poured acid on her face to prevent identification and attempted to dispose of the body in Sharda canal in Barabanki. They fled after noticing movement on the road," said ACP (Vibhuti Khand) VK Dwivedi. During interrogation, the accused said between 1am and 2am, upon encountering a deserted stretch, he pulled the vehicle over to the roadside and strangled his daughter who was sleeping on the back seat, said the officer. "When she began to resist, Abdul Mannan assisted him in the process. Thereafter, Mannan used a gamchha (towel) that he was wearing around his neck to strangle the girl, resulting in her death on the spot," said the SHO. "The accused tried to mislead the investigation by filing a missing complaint, but technical surveillance and interrogation revealed the truth," said the SHO. Police added that a car used in the crime and two mobile phones have been recovered. Cops attempted to contact Chaubey over the phone, but his number was found to be switched off. The investigation confirmed that the girl had eloped with a boy in 2025. Pursuing this lead, the police visited the boy's residence, where they found him at home. He stated that he had spoken to the girl over phone on April 13. She told him that she was going with her father for a healing ritual and instructed him not to call her. "It was at this point that the police's suspicion regarding the father deepened. Surveillance assistance was utilised. On April 19, Chaubey's location was traced to his in-laws' residence in Gonda. The police apprehended him there on the same day," the SHO added. Police said efforts are on to reconstruct the sequence of events before filing charges in court, the DCP added. htc...