HISAR/PANIPAT: The mysterious drowning of a six-year-old girl during a wedding ceremony in Panipat has led police to uncover a string of child killings allegedly committed by a woman — including her own toddler son.
Police said the accused, Poonam (34) of Bhavar village in Sonipat, was arrested on Tuesday after interrogation revealed her involvement in four deaths over the past two years. According to officials, she reportedly confessed that she felt compelled to kill children she perceived as more attractive than her own and later murdered her three-year-old son fearing he might disclose her crime.
She has another four-year-old son, while her husband is a farmer, police said.
Latest Case Triggered Investigation
Panipat SP Bhupendra Singh said police received information on December 1 about the death of a six-year-old girl, Vidhi, who drowned in a tub inside a house in Naultha village, around 15 km from Panipat, where she had come with family to attend a wedding.
A police team reached the spot and found the child face down in a plastic tub in a first-floor storeroom, with only her head submerged. Terming the situation suspicious, police called in forensic experts. A board of doctors conducting the postmortem indicated homicide.
A case was initially registered against unknown persons based on a complaint by the child’s grandfather, Pal Singh. Family members, who believed the deaths were accidental, were unaware of the motive or pattern, police said.
Confession Revealed Earlier Cases
During questioning, officers noticed inconsistencies in the statements of Vidhi’s aunt Poonam, who was present at the venue. On sustained interrogation, she allegedly confessed to drowning Vidhi after asking her to fill a tub with water.
Police said she further admitted to three earlier killings, all by drowning in tubs or tanks.
- January 2023: She allegedly drowned Ishika (9), her sister-in-law’s daughter, in a water tank at Bhavar.
- Later in 2023: She killed her own son Shubham (3), fearing he may reveal what he had seen.
- August 2025: She allegedly drowned her cousin’s daughter, Jiya (6), at Siwah village.
All these incidents were initially written off as tragic accidents within the family, police said, adding that the pattern only emerged during the current investigation.
Police are now verifying Poonam’s statements and gathering evidence to establish the sequence of events. Further investigation is underway.
