A family wedding in northern India turned into a devastating crime scene after six-year-old Vidhi disappeared during the festivities and was later found slain in a nearby storeroom.
Relatives initially believed she had simply wandered off, but when her grandmother discovered her unresponsive with her head submerged in water, the tragedy escalated into a criminal investigation. Police later arrested the child's aunt, who allegedly confessed to drowning the child and revealed a disturbing pattern of past violence.
Highlights
- A wedding celebration turned into tragedy after a 6-year-old girl was found deceased in a storeroom.
- Police said the suspect, the child’s aunt, confessed and cited jealousy as her motive.
- Authorities now believe several earlier tragedies in the family may also be linked to the same woman.
A child vanished during a family wedding, and the heartbreaking discovery shattered the celebration
Image credits: DRBHAMRA/Wikimedia
According to police, the child arrived at the ceremony in Panipat with her parents, her baby brother, and her grandmother. The atmosphere had been joyful until Vidhi’s father received a call saying she had gone missing, prompting relatives to search the property.
For an hour, family members combed through rooms and outdoor areas until her grandmother, Omwati, found her inside a storeroom with her head submerged in a tub of water. She was rushed to NC Medical College but was pronounced deceased shortly after, according to the New York Post.
Image credits: medineshsharma/X
Vidhi’s grandfather, Pal Singh, a retired policeman, noticed something strange, according to The Week. The child’s aunt, Poonam, had disappeared during the same time the child vanished.
Even more alarming, Poonam's clothes were noticeably wet. Singh's instincts told him something was wrong, so he filed a complaint at the Israna police station. This set off an investigation that would unravel a horrifying series of crimes.
Image credits: medineshsharma/X
Poonam was taken into custody, where police said she confessed to intentionally drowning her niece. Local outlets reported that the woman told officers “she didn’t want anyone to look more beautiful” than her at the event.
Superintendent of Police Bhupender Singh confirmed that investigators believed the crime took place during a moment when most guests were outside the house.
Image credits: L&T Panipat Elevated Corridor Limited/Wikimedia
He said Poonam allegedly spotted the child climbing a staircase, followed her, and engaged her in small talk before leading her toward the storeroom area.
“After having her placed in a plastic tub filled with water outside the storeroom, she drowned the child in the tub, then bolted the door from the outside, and came down,” Superintendent Singh stated.
Image credits: medineshsharma/X
He added that “During interrogation, Poonam confessed that she hates good-looking children.”
What shocked investigators further was the chilling confession that followed.
Police ended up uncovering Poonam’s earlier crimes from her chilling confessions
Image credits: medineshsharma/X
Once officers began digging into the family’s past tragedies, the scope of the case quickly expanded. For one, police revealed that this was not Poonam’s first attempt to harm Vidhi.
In 2021, when the child was just two years old, Poonam allegedly poured a kettle of boiling tea on the toddler’s face, though at the time, she claimed that the incident had been a mistake.
Her first confirmed victim was Ishika, a nine-year-old niece who passed away in January 2023. Police stated that Poonam had forcibly drowned her in a water tank.
The most shocking revelation came next. Fearing that her three-year-old son, Shubham, had witnessed Ishika’s slaying, Poonam allegedly drowned him too to eliminate suspicion. Both children were later discovered in the same tank.
Image credits: medineshsharma/X
Considering the circumstances of the children's passing, no one imagined foul play.
The pattern resumed later when eight-year-old Jiya, her cousin’s daughter, was found deceased after drowning in a tub. At the time, relatives believed she had slipped and fallen. Authorities have stated that Poonam admitted to taking her life as well.
Image credits: medineshsharma/X
Each time, investigators said, the deaths were staged. There were no signs of struggle and no evidence beyond a quiet household tragedy. It wasn’t until Vidhi's passing during a busy wedding that her actions finally unraveled.
Superintendent Singh said the woman appeared to fixate specifically on girls she perceived as beautiful.
The officer stated that, “She harbored hate for beautiful girls.” Another confession reportedly included the belief that Vidhi “might grow up to be more beautiful” than her, triggering jealousy.
Image credits: Nino Steffen/Unsplash
“She appears to be a psycho type,” Singh told reporters. “She is not very educated.”
Police have ruled out any involvement in occult practices, emphasizing that her motives appear rooted in jealousy and resentment.
But with the truth coming out, relatives of Poonam’s other victims have now filed fresh complaints, demanding justice for deaths that were previously written off as accidents.
Netizens shared their thoughts about the shocking incident on social media
