Panipat Police on Wednesday arrested a woman accused of being a serial child killer who allegedly drowned children in water. Investigators claim she murdered four children over the last three years— three nieces and her own son. Her disturbing motive: she hated girls who looked beautiful.
Superintendent of Police Bhupendra Singh said the accused is Poonam, 32, wife of farmer Naveen from Bhawar village in Gohana. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science. On December 1, Poonam had come with her family to attend a relative’s wedding in Naultha village, Panipat.
At the wedding, Naveen’s cousin Sandeep had arrived with his six-year-old daughter Vidhi and his father, retired sub-inspector Pal Singh and his mother. When the women went outside to bid farewell to the baraat, Poonam suddenly disappeared — and so did Vidhi.
When the women returned, Vidhi was missing. After a frantic search, her body was found in a water tub on the top floor of the house. Panic spread through the wedding household. Vidhi’s grandfather Pal Singh refused to believe it was an accident.
The reasons were clear:
-
The tub was only one foot deep — too shallow for accidental drowning.
-
The child’s hands and feet were outside the tub.
-
Water had splashed across the room.
-
The door was locked from the outside.
Pal Singh immediately called the police.
A forensic team soon arrived. Investigators examined the room thoroughly, questioned the women at the wedding, and reviewed video footage. They discovered that Vidhi and Poonam went missing at the same time.
Women also told police that when Poonam returned, her saree was wet. This increased suspicion. When questioned, Poonam gave two contradictory statements. After sustained interrogation, she broke down and confessed to killing Vidhi.
Under tough questioning, Poonam also confessed to all three prior murders. She said she hated beautiful girls.
Poonam got married to Naveen in 2019 and gave birth to a son a year later. She reportedly compared every girl to her son — and if any girl looked prettier, she became enraged.
In January 2023, her sister-in-law Pinky had come home to Bhawar. Pinky’s nine-year-old daughter Ishika was very beautiful, which irritated Poonam. One day, when no one else was home, Ishika was playing in the courtyard. Poonam drowned her in the water tank. During the act, her three-year-old son Shubham walked in. Afraid he would reveal her secret, she drowned him too.
After these murders in her in-laws’ house, Poonam went to her parental home in Sivan village, Panipat. There, on 19 August 2025, she killed her cousin Deepak’s six-year-old daughter Jia — another child she found “too beautiful.” Poonam told police she had already decided to kill Jia the moment she first saw her.
Poonam staged convincing drama after each killing, ensuring no one suspected her.
-
In the first incident, her own son also died, so suspicion never fell on her.
-
In the second, she herself raised an alarm and claimed the child accidentally fell into the tank.
-
In the third, she wailed along with other women after Vidhi’s body was found. But this time, evidence pointed to her — and she was finally caught.
