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New Delhi: What began as a joyous wedding celebration in a tranquil village in Panipat, Haryana, rapidly descended into a scene of unimaginable horror this week. The disappearance of a six-year-old girl, Vidhi, unravelled into a chilling murder investigation during the wedding.
Police have arrested the girl's paternal aunt, Poonam, whose confessed motive and disturbing history have drawn comparisons to the malevolent "Evil Queen" from the classic fairy tale, driven by an insidious jealousy over beauty.
The festive atmosphere at a family gathering in Naultha village ended in agony on Monday when Vidhi, dressed for the wedding, disappeared. Hours later, the frantic search concluded with a gruesome discovery. The child was found drowned in a water tub, and a subsequent police investigation has now revealed a string of horrific crimes.
According to police on Wednesday, Poonam has been arrested for the murder of her 6-year-old niece. Her shocking confession exposed a dark and deeply unsettling motive: she "did not want anyone to look 'more beautiful' than her." Driven by this perverse jealousy, Poonam allegedly drowned Vidhi in a water tub during the wedding function.
A Pattern of Predation
Investigators revealed that Vidhi's death was not an isolated incident. Poonam has confessed to murdering four children in total, all by drowning and all under similar, horrifying circumstances. Police described a chilling pattern where she specifically targeted young, pretty girls. In a twisted attempt to deflect suspicion, she even drowned her own son in 2023.
Her previous victims include her sister-in-law's daughter, her own son, reportedly to avert suspicion from the other deaths. This year, a young girl in Siwah village became her recent victim, simply because the girl was perceived as "prettier" than her.
The tragic sequence of events
Vidhi, who resided in Sonipat, had travelled to Naultha village in Panipat's Israna area with her family, her grandfather Pal Singh, grandmother Omwati, father Sandeep, mother, and 10-month-old younger brother, to attend a relative's wedding.
On Monday, as the wedding procession commenced around 1:30 PM, Vidhi's family left with it. Soon after, her father received a distressing call that Vidhi was missing. A desperate search ensued.
Approximately an hour later, grandmother Omwati made the horrifying discovery. She found the storeroom on the first floor of their relatives' house bolted from the outside. Upon opening it, she found Vidhi, head submerged in a water tub, with her feet still on the ground.
The child was immediately rushed to the NC Medical College, where doctors tragically pronounced her dead. Vidhi's father promptly filed a First Information Report (FIR), alleging murder. The subsequent police investigation quickly pointed to Poonam, Vidhi's paternal aunt, as the prime suspect.
The revelation of Poonam's deeply disturbed motive and her history of cold-blooded killings has sent shockwaves through the community, turning what were once presumed accidental deaths into a nightmarish testament to a dark obsession with beauty and a complete disregard for innocent lives.
