Haryana woman drowns niece who looked 'prettier' than her, confesses to 3 more murders, including her son

(Representative image)

A woman has been arrested in Haryana for allegedly killing her six-year-old niece by drowning her in a water tub when the entire family had gathered for a wedding function in Sonipat.

The accused has been identified as Poonam.

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, according to a report by News18.

During interrogation, the woman, identified as Poonam, reportedly told police that she killed three girls because she didn’t want anyone to look prettier than her, according to News18 Haryana.

However, she told the police that she killed her son in 2023 to avoid suspicion, said the report.

The deaths of these children had been presumed accidental until Poonam confessed the truth during questioning in the Vidhi murder case.

The latest murder

The victim, Vidhi, who lived in Sonipat, 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, reported NDTV.

The incident occurred when the family left with the wedding procession in Naultha on Monday afternoon.

Vidhi’s father then received a phone call informing him that she was missing. An hour later, her grandmother found that a storeroom on the first floor of their relative’s house was bolted from the outside. On opening it, she found Vidhi inside.

She 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, under the leadership of Superintendent of Police Bhupendra Singh IPS, Panipat Police, led them to Poonam.

Poonam will be produced in court and has been taken in police remand for further questioning.