Panipat: A wedding celebration in a Haryana village took a horrifying turn after a six-year-old girl vanished and was later found dead, leading police to uncover a disturbing murder case. The suspect, police said on Wednesday, is the child’s aunt, who allegedly killed her niece because she did not want anyone to appear “more beautiful” than her.

The accused, Poonam, allegedly drowned her six-year-old niece, Vidhi, in a water tub on Monday while the family had gathered for a wedding function in Sonipat.

Vidhi had travelled from Sonipat to Naultha village in Panipat’s Israna area with her family to attend the festivities. She was accompanied by her grandfather Pal Singh, grandmother Omwati, father Sandeep, mother, and her 10-month-old younger brother.

The incident unfolded around 1:30 pm after the wedding procession reached Naultha and other family members joined it. Shortly after, Vidhi’s father received a call saying that the child was missing, triggering a frantic search.

Nearly an hour later, her grandmother Omwati went to a storeroom located on the first floor of a relative’s house. The door was found bolted from the outside. When she opened it, she discovered Vidhi with her head submerged in a water tub and her feet touching the ground.

The child was immediately taken to NC Medical College, where doctors pronounced her dead. Vidhi’s father later lodged an FIR, alleging that she had been murdered.

Police later confirmed that the accused was Vidhi’s paternal aunt.

A pattern of killings

According to investigators, Poonam displayed a disturbing pattern of targeting children, driven by jealousy and resentment. Police said she did not want anyone to look more beautiful than her and specifically targeted young girls she believed were prettier.

Poonam has allegedly confessed to killing four children, including three girls and her own son, by drowning them in similar circumstances.

Police stated that she had killed her sister-in-law’s daughter in 2023. Later that same year, she drowned her own son to avoid raising suspicion. In August this year, she reportedly murdered another girl in Siwah village because she felt the child looked “prettier” than her.

Until her confession during questioning in Vidhi’s case, these deaths were believed to be accidental.

Police say further inquiry is ongoing to verify the full extent of the alleged crimes and whether others in the family were aware of the earlier incidents. Poonam remains in custody as the probe continues.