Bhagalpur, Jan. 30: Janardan Tripathi, the third additional district and sessions judge, Bhagalpur, today awarded death sentence to one Prakesh Yadav (42) for murdering his 15-year old daughter.

The court, however, acquitted two cousins of Prakesh, who were made co-accused in the case.

According to senior lawyer Anand Mohon Jha, Prakesh, a resident of Makandpur, who killed his daughter Shabnam Kumari has confessed to his crime earlier during interrogation.

The case had been lodged by one Naresh Yadav (62), the father-in-law of Prakesh and grandfather of Shabnam. Sources said Shabnam used to stay with him at Dariapur village after she fled with her lover and was later recovered by police. Since she was a minor, the court handed her over to her parents.

Prakesh wanted her daughter to marry another boy, which she refused, sparking bitterness. Since then, she had been staying with her maternal grandfather.

In the FIR at Sajour police station, Naresh alleged that on April 9, 2013, his son-in-law Prakesh and Prakesh's cousins Ganuri Yadav (50) and Laloo Yadav (30) came to his residence on a vehicle and took Shabnam for treatment.

In the evening, he was informed that Shabnam's body was recovered near Shakund Primary Health Centre (PHC). Later, during police investigation, Prakesh confessed that on the pretext of treatment, he managed to take away his daughter from his father-in-law and proceed for Shakund.

He said on the way he strangulated Shabnam and tried to go towards Sultanganj to dispose her body. Seeing a police jeep approaching, he decided not to go there and escaped after disposing the body.