Jharkhand Man Arrested for Strangling Sister Over Social Media Use

3 Minutes Read

April 06, 2026 18:26 IST

In a shocking case of honour killing in Jharkhand, a man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his sister due to her social media interactions, sparking outrage and a police investigation.

Photograph: PTI Photo from Rediff archives

Photograph: PTI Photo from Rediff archives

Key Points

  • A man in Jharkhand allegedly strangled his 13-year-old sister for communicating with his brother-in-law on social media.
  • The accused and his father have been arrested in connection with the honour killing, which occurred in Jhakhratand village.
  • The father confessed that the accused was angered by his sister's social media activity, leading to a fatal altercation.
  • The family cremated the victim's body in Gaya, Bihar, in an attempt to conceal the crime.
  • Police are investigating the incident, including the role of a doctor who confirmed the girl's death and advised cremation.

A man, angry with her 13-year-old sister for staying in contact with his brother-in-law via social media, allegedly strangled her to death in Jharkhand, a senior police officer said on Monday.

Police arrested the 29-year-old accused and his father in connection with the case, Ranchi Rural SP Praveen Pushkar said in a press conference.

 

The incident occurred at Jhakhratand village under the Ratu police station limits on March 13 and came to light on April 2 after villagers alerted the police upon seeing some post-death rituals being performed at the house, he said.

Details of the Crime

"We arrested the father Subodh Pathak and his son Rahul. During interrogation, the father said that the girl had been in contact via social media platforms with his son's brother-in-law, much to the chagrin of the accused.

On March 13, an altercation between his daughter and son escalated, and Rahul strangled her to death," Pushkar said.

Following the incident, the father called a doctor known to him. The physician confirmed that the girl is dead and advised the family to cremate her body. After this, they hired an ambulance and took the body to Bihar's Gaya and cremated her there, the SP said.

Investigation Uncovers Family Dynamics

He said that Subodh Pathak adopted the girl from Bihar's Aurangabad district when she was 5 years old.

The police officer said that the adoption took place after Subodh Pathak's biological daughter eloped with someone, and Rahul did not like his adoptive sister from the very beginning. Even the girl's food was cooked in a separate oven.

As part of the investigation, a police team was sent to Aurangabad to contact the victim's biological parents. Upon reaching there, the victim's father said that he had given his daughter to Subodh Pathak after his wife's death, as he is handicapped and was unable to look after her, Pushkar added.

The police recorded the statement of the ambulance driver and are conducting raids to nab the doctor.

Rahul's wife was not present on the day of the incident.

Both the accused are now in judicial custody.