PANIPAT, Dec 4 — The Panipat police arrested a woman accused of killing a six-year-old girl, claiming the arrest solved a two-year-old series of child murders in the district.
The child, identified as Vidhi of Bhawar village, went missing while attending a relative’s wedding at Naultha village on December 1. Her body was later found in a water tub on the first floor of a house.
During the investigation, it emerged that the accused, Poonam (32) of Bhawar village, had already killed three other children, including her own son. She is the aunt (chachi) of Vidhi.
“Poonam harboured hatred towards attractive children, especially girls, and drowned them so their deaths would appear natural,” SP Bhupender Singh said.
Police said Poonam, originally from Sewah village, married Navin of Bhawar in 2019. She admitted to killing nine-year-old Ishika and her three-year-old son Shubham in 2023, and six-year-old Jia in August 2025. “She killed her son to avoid suspicion for Ishika’s murder,” the SP added.
DSP (Crime Against Women) Naveen Sandhu, SHO Israna, and forensic experts collected evidence before registering a case of murder against an unknown person. The CIA-1 team, led by Inspector Phool Singh, nabbed Poonam, who confessed during interrogation.
A separate case has been registered for Jia’s murder. Poonam was sent to judicial custody after being produced in a local court.
