Vadodara district Superintendent of Police Sushil Agarwal, while revealing disturbing details of the case, said, “This was not an impulsive act. The girl had attempted to poison her parents earlier as well. Two days before the murder, she mixed sleeping pills again, but the plan failed. Even earlier, she tried to drug her mother by adding sleeping pills to a glass of water, but the bitter taste saved her life.”

According to the police, these repeated failed attempts strengthened the resolve of the conspirators. On the third attempt, the pills worked and the murder followed.

Investigators also pointed to a troubled family background. Police said the deceased father strongly opposed his daughter’s relationship and confined his wife and daughter inside a room, locking them from outside. That resentment, they believe, turned lethal.

Adding another layer to the case, SP Agarwal said the accused lover, Ranjit, had earlier abducted the minor girl, prompting the father to file a complaint. Ranjit was arrested under the POCSO Act and later released on bail.

“After coming out on bail, he re-established contact with the minor and together they planned to kill the father and run away,” the SP said.

Police have arrested the minor girl, her lover Ranjit, and his associate Mahesh. Investigators are tracing the source of the sleeping pills and the weapon used in the crime, and are also examining whether anyone else had prior knowledge of the plot.

What police say began as a love affair ended in a brutal family murder, leaving Vadodara stunned by the extent of obsession and planning involved when law, fear and blood ties were all crossed.