Two arrested for killing mother-daughter duo in Kota

Kota (Raj), Nov 9 (PTI) Two days after a woman and her minor daughter were found murdered in their house here, police on Sunday arrested one of her relatives and his associate for the crime.

The key accused, Pradeep Vaishnav (30), allegedly conspired with his two friends to murder Jyoti (32) after she refused to repay Rs 60,000 that she had borrowed from him a few months earlier, the police said.

Her daughter Palak (8), who had arrived home from her school and saw the duo attacking her mother, was also strangulated to death after she cried for help, they said.

Following intensive technical investigation and examination of CCTV footage, the police succeeded in arresting Vaishnav and his aide Bharat Sahariya (20) from Mukundera forest on Sunday, Kota city Superintendent of Police Tejashwini Gautam told reporters here.

The third person, identified as Rajualias Mamu, is yet to be apprehended, the SP said.

During the raid, Vaishnav attempted to flee and jumped off a wall due to which he sustained a fracture in one of his legs, the SP said.

Jyoti and Palak were found murdered in their house in Rojadi area on Friday night, while her one-and-a-half-year-old son was found unconscious in the cradle.

During the initial inquiry, the police said, Vaishnav claimed that Jyoti had borrowed Rs 60,000 from him and had refused to repay, following which he conspired to murder her.

On the day of the incident, he visited Jyoti's house with his friends after her husband had left for hospital. While Jyoti was cooking for them after serving tea, the accused sneaked into the kitchen and strangled her with her chunni.

Her daughter Palak, who had in the meantime returned home, started shouting for help after she saw her mother being attacked, the SP said, adding the accused also strangulated the minor to death.

"After that, they robbed the woman of her ear ornaments and mangalsutra and decamped with other items," the SP said.

She said 16 police teams were formed to nab the accused in the matter.

"Efforts are underway to nab the third accused," the SP said. PTI CORR RT