Monday, 07 Jul 2008, 1:44 PM CDT

Chaudhry Rashad, of Clayton County, Ga., is accused of killing his own daughter for dishonoring family.


CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. --
A Georgia man was behind bars Sunday, accused of killing his own daughter. Police said the father was angry because he felt his daughter was disgracing the family.

Investigators said 54-year-old Chaudhry Rashad was so outraged at his daughter, Sandela Kanwal, and her plans for divorce that he killed her after a heated argument at the family's home. Investigators said Rashad confessed to strangling the 25-year-old woman.



"The family is very upset and stressed," said Shahid Malik of the Pakistani American Community of Atlanta.

Malik met with the family Sunday and said they were all traumatized.

Neighbors said the family was generally quiet, but also hard to miss.

"I would see the young lady outside every once in a while dressed in the traditional Muslim gear," said neighbor Jack Hannah.

"The father, he would pray at certain times of the mornings and evenings," said neighbor Cynthia Smith.

Rashad was taken to the Clayton County jail. Police said they interviewed Rashad and he said he killed his daughter as a matter of honor, because he felt her plans for divorce would have disgraced the family.

"She was under depression too and the father was very stressed and under depression," said Malik.

Police said the victim had been in an arranged marriage and hadn't seen her husband, who lives in Chicago, for months.

Malik said arranged marriages are not uncommon for Pakistanis. He said the marriages are usually accepted and successful, although young people living in American might develop problems with them.

"Their minds are changed when the live here due to this system," said Malik.

Rashad is due to go before a Clayton County magistrate Monday.