The wedding drums had barely quieted in a village in Haryana's Panipat when panic swept through the home where relatives had gathered. A day of celebration unravelled into a nightmare after a six-year-old girl, dressed for the festivities, suddenly disappeared. Within hours, the joyous atmosphere turned into a frantic search and soon after, a crime scene. By the end of the day, police uncovered a chilling murder case with the main suspect reminiscent of the Evil Queen from the German fairy tale Snow White.
A woman has been arrested for murdering her niece in Panipat, police said on Wednesday. The reason: she did not want anyone to look "more beautiful" than her.
The accused, Poonam, drowned her 6-year-old niece in a water tub on Monday when the entire family had gathered for a wedding function in Sonipat.
According to the police, Poonam had earlier killed three children, including her son in 2023, whom she had murdered the same way as her niece -- by drowning.
How The Murder Took Place
The victim, Vidhi, lived in Sonipat and had come to Naultha village in Panipat's Israna area to attend a relative's wedding with her family. She was accompanied by her grandfather Pal Singh, grandmother Omwati, father Sandeep, mother, and 10-month-old younger brother.
The incident occurred when the wedding procession arrived in Naultha, and the family left with it around 1.30 pm on Monday.
Soon after, Vidhi's father received a phone call informing him that she was missing, and the family began searching for her. About an hour later, her grandmother Omwati went to a storeroom on the first floor of their relative's house. The storeroom door was bolted from the outside. When she opened it, she found Vidhi with her head submerged in a water tub and feet on the ground.
The child was rushed to the NC Medical College, where the doctors declared her dead. Vidhi's father later registered a First Information Report (FIR), alleging that she was murdered.
Police investigation revealed that the accused, Poonam, was Vidhi's paternal aunt.
Pattern Of Killing Children
According to the police, Poonam had a disturbing pattern of drowning children, driven by jealousy and resentment, because she did not want anyone to look more beautiful than her.
She specifically targeted young, pretty girls, police said. In total, Poonam has confessed to killing four children -- three girls and her own son -- all by drowning under similar circumstances.
In 2023, Poonam had killed her sister-in-law's daughter. The same year, she drowned her son just to avoid suspicion. In August this year, Poonam murdered another girl in Siwah village because the child looked 'prettier' than her.
The deaths of these children had been presumed accidental until Poonam confessed the truth during questioning in the Vidhi murder case.
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