Reshma Chhetri stood at the Kanpur cemetery, fainted twice while saying goodbye to her 11-year-old twin daughters, with only women police personnel by her side. No neighbours came. No relatives from her husband’s side appeared. Her daughters, born together on March 8, 2016, died together on April 19, allegedly killed by their father.
Representational image (Sourced) CCTV cameras across the flat in Kanpur’s Kidwai Nagar recorded the sequence. The footage allegedly showed Shashi Ranjan Mishra, 45, speaking to the girls, using his phone before switching off the lights. Cameras covered most areas including the entrance, kitchen, sleeping area.
The family had dinner around 11 pm. When asked to sleep, the girls wanted to continue watching cartoons. Mishra allegedly promised them a cinema visit but later threatened them. Reshma then took their six-year-old son to her room while the girls stayed with their father.
During questioning, Mishra allegedly told police he killed the stronger daughter first, fearing that if he attacked the other one first, her sister might wake, resist, or alert Reshma. He strangled her with both hands, then cut her throat with the cleaver.
After waiting, he allegedly took the second child to the bathroom, later killing her after she returned to sleep and then called the police emergency line himself to report the crime.
Postmortem examinations confirmed that the girls had been sedated before they were killed. Mishra told police he had mixed sleeping pills into their food. Doctors found the wounds to both girls’ throats were three to four inches deep, with the windpipe severed completely in both cases. Death was caused by severe blood loss.
Reshma told police that Mishra had allegedly grown increasingly disturbed after his mother’s death a few months ago and had repeatedly spoken of wanting to die and take the girls with him.
She said he allegedly asked her on several occasions to leave with their son and let him raise the daughters alone.
Investigators said Mishra had allegedly attacked his wife earlier. Two years ago, he reportedly assaulted her with a knife, injuring her hand. Another attempt was reported a year later, though she escaped unhurt. A complaint was filed but no action followed after he admitted fault.
In his confession, Mishra said he had planned the killings on April 18. “I mixed sleeping pills into their food. When both became
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