Murder of twin girls in Delhi: Accused tried to force wife to abort after sex determination

Father murders twin newborn girls, forces wife into sex determination test, starves babies, and buries them in Delhi. Arrested after a month.

The investigation into the murder of the two-day-old twin girls by their father last month has revealed horrifying details, including how the accused forced his wife to undergo a test at a sex determination test at a Noida clinic after paying a registered doctor ₹1.7 lakh, Delhi Police officers investigating the matter said on Thursday.

The specifics of the investigation also revealed the murders were premeditated as Solanki “tortured” the infants by starving them for two days before burying them. (Representational image)

The accused man, identified by police as Neeraj Solanki, 32, also starved the babies before burying them at a crematorium near his house in Sultanpuri, outer Delhi, the officers said. The accused and his family also tried to force the woman to abort the foetuses after finding out she was pregnant with twin girls. However, she fled to her parents’ house in Rohtak, Haryana, and stayed there for six months until the delivery. Police are now looking for the doctor who conducted the illegal sex determination test.

Solanki was arrested from Sampla, Rohtak, on Tuesday — over a month after the shocking incident took place. On May 30, Solanki, a Delhi University graduate, fled with his newborns from the hospital soon after they were delivered and while their mother was being discharged. He allegedly took the babies in his car and told his wife that he would be following her to Rohtak. However, he went to their house in Sultanpuri, outer Delhi, and buried them at a nearby crematorium. He was unhappy about the sex of the infants, officers said.

The specifics of the investigation also revealed the murders were premeditated as Solanki “tortured” the infants by starving them for two days before burying them.

Solanki and his wife Pooja got married in 2022 and the couple had been struggling to conceive a child, a senior police officer said. Pooja then underwent in-vitro fertilization in Delhi last year. “It was a tough pregnancy for her as she was initially pregnant with triplets but one foetus had to be surgically removed due to her health,” the officer added, requesting anonymity.

“Solanki and his family lied to Pooja and told her it was a medical checkup before taking her for the sex determination test. A registered doctor conducted the test. When the report came, Solanki pressured his wife to abort but she did not agree,” he added.

She delivered the twins on May 30 and was discharged the next day. On June 1, police said, Solanki arrived with his family and took the babies. He assured his wife that he would drop them to her parents’ home in Ismaila but never did.

“We found he drove for at least three to four hours with the babies with the car AC cranked up. He took the babies out of the car late at night and put them in a room at his home and were not fed. We think they starved to death but a viscera report is pending…” a second investigating officer said, asking not to be named.

Pooja and her brother Jugnu called Solanki, and his family multiple times but they did not respond, after which they informed the police on June 3.

Police said Solanki planned different ways to kill the babies, including drowning and strangling them, adding he even drove towards a field and a drain but panicked and returned home.

“Solanki along with his father Vijender buried the babies at the crematorium. Solanki’s sister, Monika, was also seen with him and the babies. Monika, a resident of Najafgarh, is on the run,” the second officer added. Investigators arrested Vijender on June 23. Police said Solanki has two sisters, one brother, apart from his parents in the family. However, the role of other family members remains unclear.

Police said multiple raids were conducted to nab the accused. “Solanki was using a relative’s phone and his location was seen around Azadpur. We went there and found he was hiding at a motel but had checked out before he reached,” said a third officer.

Police said a team headed by ACP Umesh Barthwal and inspectors Yogesh and Vinod Yadav found that Solanki was using a scooter which was seen in the Bawana area. The location was traced through CCTV mapping.

“He was then seen in Jharoda Kalan and moved towards Rohtak. We arrested him outside a guest house in Sampla. He told us he was trying to contact his wife again and fix things. However, we suspect that he knew about his father’s arrest and was going there to threaten her,” added the officer.

Solanki and Vijender have been sent to judicial custody after interrogation. They were booked under sections 302, 304, 315, 201 of the Indian Penal Code for murder, dowry harassment and domestic violence. Solanki was unemployed and was earning through his rental properties.