Father kills teen daughter over relationship, pours acid on face to hide identity

 

By Sumesh Rajan | April 21, 2026

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA: What began as a missing person complaint ended in the chilling revelation of a 16-year-old girl's murder allegedly at the hands of her own father in Uttar Pradesh.

Police said Vijay Kumar Chaubey, a 34-year-old driver from Lucknow, strangled his daughter to death with the help of an accomplice after she refused to end her relationship with a young man. The accused then allegedly poured acid on her face to conceal her identity and dumped her body by the roadside in Barabanki.

The victim, identified as Vandana Chaubey, was a Class 10 student.

According to police, Chaubey filed an online complaint through the Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS) portal on April 16, claiming that his daughter had gone missing. Investigators later found that the teenager had actually been killed two days earlier, on April 14.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Deeksha Sharma said Chaubey and his associate, Abdul Mannan, 45, were arrested in connection with the murder. Police are also examining whether other family members had any role in the crime.

During interrogation, Chaubey allegedly told police that he was upset over his daughter's continued relationship with a local youth. He reportedly claimed that despite repeated warnings and persuasion, the girl refused to cut ties with the boy.

Police said the father feared the relationship would damage the family's social standing.

Investigators revealed that the issue had caused tensions within the family for several months. In August last year, the girl had allegedly eloped with her boyfriend. Though she was later brought back home, the boy was jailed for three months. After his release in November, the teenager reportedly remained in contact with him.

Police said Chaubey had even changed houses multiple times to avoid social stigma linked to the relationship.

According to investigators, the murder was planned in advance.

On April 13, Chaubey allegedly took his daughter in a rented car, telling her they were travelling to Rajasthan for faith-healing rituals. After some distance, Mannan joined them.

Instead of Rajasthan, the two allegedly drove towards Sultanpur, where they stayed overnight. The next day, they travelled to Barabanki.

Police said that late at night, the accused stopped the vehicle on a deserted stretch of road. As the girl slept in the back seat, the two men allegedly restrained her and strangled her using a cloth.

Investigators said the accused then planned to dump the body in the Sharda canal. Before abandoning the body, they allegedly poured acid on the victim's face in an attempt to destroy evidence and prevent identification.

However, after spotting vehicles approaching the area, the accused panicked and left the body on the roadside before fleeing.

The case began to unravel when local residents told police that the teenager was last seen leaving home with her father on April 14.

Police also found that Chaubey and his wife had gone missing after filing the complaint. During the investigation, officers learned that an unidentified body of a minor girl had been found in Barabanki.

Lucknow Police contacted their counterparts in Barabanki and called the victim's boyfriend for identification. He confirmed that the body was that of Vandana.

Investigators also recovered an audio clip in which the victim was allegedly heard saying that she was travelling to Rajasthan with her father.

Police then analysed Chaubey's mobile phone records, which placed him near the suspected crime scene in Barabanki.

Following sustained questioning, Chaubey allegedly confessed to the crime.

Police said further legal proceedings are underway.