3 min readLucknowUpdated: Apr 21, 2026 06:55 AM IST
It was an online complaint about the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl that led Lucknow Police to uncover an alleged killing — involving her own father.
Police said on April 16, Vijay Kumar Chaubey (34), a driver, had reported that his daughter, a Class X student, was missing through the IGRS (Integrated Grievance Redressal System) portal.
The girl, however, had been killed two days before this.
Police said she was allegedly strangled to death, acid was poured on her face in an attempt to conceal her identity, and the body was dumped by the roadside in Barabanki.
On Monday, police arrested Chaubey and his associate, Abdul Mannan (45), both residents of Lucknow, in connection with the case, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Deeksha Sharma. She said police are examining the possible involvement of other members of Chaubey’s family.
During questioning, police said Chaubey claimed his daughter refused to end a relationship with a young man despite repeated warnings. Distressed by her behaviour and fearing his social standing would be damaged, police said, conspired with a friend to kill her.
Police said the girl was killed on April 14, and that Chaubey filed the complaint two days later.
How the case was cracked
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During their probe, police first recorded statements of local residents, who said the girl was last seen on April 14 — when she left with her father.
Police said they tried to locate Chaubey and his wife to record their statements, but both were untraceable. Police also learned that the victim had been in a relationship with a local youth.
Meanwhile, police in Barabanki reported the recovery of an unidentified minor girl’s body. Lucknow Police contacted them, and called the youth to identify the body — he said it was the missing girl.
Around the same time, police obtained an audio clip in which the victim was purportedly heard saying she was travelling to Rajasthan with her father. The recording was from two days before she left home.
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Police said they then intensified efforts to trace Chaubey, analysing his mobile phone records. The data placed him near the suspected crime scene, police said.
Police finally arrested him on Sunday, and he admitted to the crime.
The killing
According to police, on April 13, Chaubey left home with his daughter in a car. He told her they were travelling to Rajasthan for faith-healing rituals. After covering some distance, he called Mannan, who joined them in the vehicle.
Instead of heading to Rajasthan, police said, the two allegedly drove towards Sultanpur where they stayed the night.
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They headed out on Tuesday. By night, they reached Barabanki, where they stopped on a deserted stretch of road. Police said as the girl slept in the back seat, the two men allegedly restrained her and strangled her with a cloth.
Police said the accused then drove towards a nearby canal to dispose of the body, and poured acid on her face. But noticing vehicles on the road, they abandoned the body by the roadside and fled the scene.
