Papa beat her with stick: Bihar man kills wife, flees, leaves stepdaughter behind

A man allegedly killed his wife before fleeing the spot with his family members and leaving behind his stepdaughter in Bihar's Vaishali district.

The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Asha Devi. She had married Sujeet Paswan around two-and-a-half years ago.

Asha's five-year-old biological daughter was found alone in the house when her body was recovered.

After the crime was discovered, the child said that her stepfather thrashed her mother with a stick after dinner.

According to the girl, her step-grandparents were not at home when the incident took place.

With no one around to intervene, the child said, her mother was beaten, and the family members subsequently fled the house.

Asha's parents said it was a second marriage for both Sujeet and their daughter. The accused's first wife had died of an illness, leaving behind two children.

Asha’s first husband had also succumbed to poor health, and she had her five-year-old daughter from that marriage.FREQUENT DISPUTES OVER CHILDREN

Asha’s father, Ganesh Paswan, said both families had been informed about the previous marriages and children before the wedding. However, disputes frequently arose over the children, he said.

The family alleged that Asha was beaten to death with a stick during one such dispute on Sunday, October 4, night.

Asha’s mother alleged that things remained normal for around six months after the marriage, following which Sujeet’s behaviour changed.

She said he resumed contact with his previous in-laws and began physically assaulting her daughter.

According to her, the victim had not been given food for five days before the murder.

At around 9 pm on Sunday, Asha allegedly called her family and said, "Take me away, otherwise they will not leave me alive."

Her family, however, told her they would come to take her in the morning.

The next morning, a local resident called the family and informed them that Asha had died.COPS TRYING TO CATCH ACCUSED

Following the incident, a police team reached the spot with a police team and began an investigation. A forensic science laboratory (FSL) team was also called to examine the scene.

The body was subsequently sent for postmortem examination. Efforts are underway to trace the accused.- Ends(Based on inputs from Vikash Kumar)