Woman Returns Home To Find Father, Brother Jailed For Murder: 10 Things To Know

A young woman named Kanchan Uike who was believed to have been murdered nine years ago by her father and brother has turned up alive and well. The woman demanded her brother's release from jail and the case raised serious questions about the police investigation.

The case goes back to June 2014, when Kanchan Uike, then 14 years old, went missing from Jopanala village in Chhindwara, around 300 kilometres from Bhopal. Following the girl’s disappearance, her father, Sannu Uike, filed a police complaint. Despite an extensive search, the girl was nowhere to be found.

Missing Woman Returns Home

1. After seven years of searching, the police claimed that they had a breakthrough in the case. They claimed that Kanchan’s brother Sonu had killed her with the help of their father and buried the body in a nearby mango field.
2. The spot was excavated by the police after obtaining permission from the SDM court, and they found 210 bones, including a skull and parts of hands and feet. The remains were sent to the forensics lab for DNA testing.
3. Uike's family claimed that the police had exhumed the skeleton from their own family grave and assumed they were Kanchan’s remains.
4. While the DNA report from the forensic laboratory at Sagar was still pending, the police arrested Kanchan’s brother Sonu Uike and father Sannu Uike, believing that they had discovered Kanchan’s remains.
5. Both Kanchan’s father and brother were charged with her murder and sent to prison. According to the police, Sonu Uike killed his sister by hitting her head with a stick with the assistance of their father.
6. While the father, Sannu Uike, was granted bail after a year in jail, Sonu Uike is still in prison. The family suffered from social stigma all these years.
7. On Wednesday, Uike turned up alive. She is now a married woman with two children, said that she had left home after a disagreement with her family and travelled to Bhopal. Later, she settled in Ujjain.
8. The woman was unaware of her brother and father's arrest. While visiting her in-laws, she met a man who recognised her and learnt about the situation.
9. Kanchan’s mother confirmed her identity after sharing memories of her childhood. Knowing that her brother was still in prison, Kanchan went to the police station and demanded her brother’s release and compensation be paid to her family.
10. The police who investigated the case are now put in a situation where they must provide an explanation and investigate another case to determine whose remains they found.

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