CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Police on Wednesday arrested a woman in her mid-thirties for allegedly murdering four children, including three girls and her own son in Panipat.

The investigation into the killings began after the recent death of six-year-old Vidhi, who was found dead on Monday with her head submerged in a water tub and her feet on the ground in the storeroom of her relative's house. 

The accused, identified as Poonam, had earlier killed three children, including her own son in 2023 in the same way as her niece by drowning, the police said. She allegedly murdered the girls "out of jealousy" as she thought the children were prettier than her. Further, Poonam killed her son to allegedly avoid suspicion of killing the girls.

In the recent incident, Poonam's niece, six-year-old Vidhi, who lived in Sonipat, had come to Naultha village with her grandparents, parents and 10-month old brother to attend a wedding.

The incident occurred when the wedding procession arrived in Naultha and the family left with it. Soon, Vidhi's father received a phone call informing him that she was missing, and the family began searching for her.

Later, they opened a storeroom on the first floor of their relative's house and found that the child was reportedly drowned in a tub. Even though the death was earlier presumed to be accidental, circumstances raised some suspicions as the room was locked from outside. The case was solved within 36 hours of the incident.

Upon questioning, the accused reportedly confessed to killing four children, three of whom were girls related to her and one her own son.