Girls Are a Burden: Delhi Father Held for Killing Infant Daughter, Dumped Body in Septic Tank

A 25-year-old man in Delhi allegedly murdered his 10-month-old daughter, hid her body in a septic tank and staged a fake kidnapping drama after claiming he could not bear the financial burden of raising a second girl child, police said.

The accused, identified as Deepak, allegedly drugged his wife and elder daughter , strangled the infant inside their home in the Bhalswa Dairy area of north Delhi, and later attempted to mislead investigators by reporting the child missing.

Police said the accused initially claimed that he had stepped out to buy milk and biscuits on May 24 and returned home to find his wife Surya and elder daughter unconscious while the baby girl was missing. A PCR call regarding the alleged kidnapping triggered a massive search operation , with multiple police teams scanning CCTV footage and searching houses across the locality. Residents also joined the search believing the infant had genuinely been abducted.

Investigators, however, found serious inconsistencies in Deepak’s statements . CCTV footage failed to support his claim that he had left the area at the time of the alleged kidnapping. Police said a frame-by-frame analysis of footage collected from around Mukundpur Part-II further strengthened suspicions against him.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Hareshwar Swami said Deepak’s movements could not be corroborated through any footage, following which he was subjected to sustained interrogation. During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to killing the child, telling investigators that he was under severe financial distress and felt incapable of bearing the expenses of raising another daughter. Some reports also quoted investigators as saying the accused allegedly believed that “girls are a burden”.

Police subsequently recovered the infant’s body from the septic tank of the house in the presence of forensic and crime teams. Authorities added Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to murder and arrested the accused.

Deepak, a resident of Mukundpur in Bhalswa Dairy, had studied up to Class 12 and worked as a school van driver at a private school, officials said. Investigators are now probing whether any family members had prior knowledge of the crime or helped conceal evidence. Police are also examining the alleged sedative or intoxicant angle , as the accused’s wife and elder daughter had reportedly fallen unconscious before the murder.