Haryana's "Killer Mom" Recorded Children Dancing Before Drowning Them: A Shocking Case of Jealousy-Driven Murders

Poonam can be heard encouraging the children in the video.

New Delhi:

Poonam, a woman from Haryana who allegedly murdered four children (three young girls and her son) over several years, had recorded a video of two of them - including her four-year-old son - dancing at home, just hours before committing the horrific act.

The footage, recorded in 2023, shows her son Shubham and nine-year-old Ishika - her sister-in-law's daughter, jumping and dancing on a bed to music. Poonam can be heard cheering them on. Later that day, she drowned Ishika in a water tank in Sonipat's Bhawar village. Poonam subsequently killed her son using the same method - which investigators believe was a calculated deception to deflect suspicion after the first murder.

Poonam's third victim was eight-year-old Jia.

This week, Poonam killed another child, six-year-old Vidhi - her niece. Authorities reported that Poonam had previously attempted to kill Vidhi in 2021 by pouring boiling tea on her face, but the child survived. On Monday, Poonam allegedly drowned the girl in a water-filled tub in a storeroom at a relative's house where the family had gathered for a wedding celebration. She left the body to be discovered by the child's grandmother. Vidhi was taken to NC Medical College, where doctors pronounced her dead. Her grandfather, Pal Singh, subsequently filed a First Information Report (FIR), alleging murder.

Poonam was apprehended this week when she reportedly confessed to the killings.

Police believe that Poonam committed these crimes due to a 'beauty complex' and deliberately targeted young, attractive girls. She established a disturbing pattern of drowning her nieces, motivated by jealousy and resentment, as she didn't want anyone to appear "more beautiful" than herself, according to authorities.

"Poonam had a beauty complex and, because she was jealous, she killed my daughter. She should receive the death penalty. We don't know how many children would have died if she hadn't been caught. Now, if given the opportunity, she might attack my son as well," Vidhi's father, Sandeep, told NDTV.