Shimla:
In a ghastly incident, a woman beat two small children of a family to death in a village in Shimla district while a third girl was injured, police said on Thursday.
The woman, who has been arrested, said she was possessed by some spirit which directed her to commit the crime.
The incident occurred at Toladhar village in Kupvi tehsil near Chopal town, some 120 km from Shimla, on Wednesday.
"She repeatedly hit the children - a 10-month-old boy and a three-and-half-year old girl - with sticks till they died," Deputy Superintendent of police N.S. Negi told IANS.
The third, a child, who is two-and-half-years old, got grievous injuries.
Negi said the mental balance of the woman, Been Devi, seemed all right.
"She said the crime was committed on the order of the evil spirit," he added.
At the time of the crime, the parents of the children were not at home.
A case of murder was registered at the Chopal police station on Thursday on the statement of the children's mother, Asha Devi.