A 22-year-old woman has been brutally murdered by her father in Ferozabad district in what is believed to be the 23rd case of honour killing in the last 18 months in western Uttar Pradesh.

The incident took place on Sunday (17 November), when the victim was alone with her father, while most of the family was in Gurugram.

According to Girish Chandra Gautam, station house officer (SHO) of Jasrana, the accused father, Harivansh Kumar, has admitted to the crime.

"During the interrogation, the accused said that he first electrocuted the daughter and later slit her throat with a knife. The weapon used in the crime has also been recovered," the SHO said.

Kumar disapproved of Pooja's relationship with Gajendra, who was also from the same caste and neighborhood.

Pooja, a post-graduate, was the youngest among five siblings and the only daughter. Her brother, Yogesh filed the murder complaint against his father.

At the time of incident only the victim and her father were in the house as the mother and her three brothers were in Gurugram, while the fourth brother lives in another house.

"The father probably saw his daughter talking to her boyfriend Gajendra in late night, who came to meet her outside her house. When the victim returned to her room, the accused caught her and electrocuted her before slitting her throat," said the officer.

The autopsy report is still awaited.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)