Panipat's "Killer Mom" Murders Young Son, 3 Nieces

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, accused of killing four children, has been arrested for murdering her niece in Panipat, police said on Wednesday. The reason: she did not want anyone to look "more beautiful" in the family 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 3-year-old 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 at 1.30 pm on Monday, and all the guests gathered outside the relative's house.

During this time, Poonam noticed Vidhi climbing the stairs to the roof. She followed her onto the rooftop of the house and struck up a conversation with the girl. Once she had gained Vidhi's trust, Poonam asked her to step into a plastic tub filled with water that was kept in the storeroom. As soon as Vidhi did so, she drowned her by forcing her head and neck under the water, latched the door from the outside, and went back downstairs.

Soon after, Vidhi's father, who had left with the procession, received a phone call informing him that she was missing. The family began searching for her. About an hour later, her grandmother Omwati went to the storeroom 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 grandfather, Pal Singh, 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 her nieces, 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 nieces and her own son -- all by drowning under similar circumstances.

In 2023, Poonam had killed her sister-in-law's 9-year-old daughter, Ishika, drowning her in a water tank. Fearing that her in-laws might suspect her of her niece's murder, she also drowned her 3-year-old son, Shubham. In August this year, she murdered her cousin brother's 6-year-old daughter, Jia, in Siwah village because the girl 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.