Gurugram mom strangles three-year-old girl to death in a fit of rage; arrested

Pooja in her statement to the police said she had no intention of killing her daughter and was only trying to scold the child after grabbing her by the neck. But the child died and once she realised what had happened, the guilt drove her to slit her wrist

A three-year-old girl was strangled to death on Sunday allegedly by her mother who later tried to end her life by slitting her wrist in Sector 10, police said on Monday, adding that the woman allegedly lost her temper over the child’s continuous cries and killed her.

Police said they registered a case of murder against the woman, Pooja Rani, on the complaint of her husband Pradeep Singh. Pooja was arrested after being discharged from the hospital where she was admitted for wrist wounds. (Representational image)

Police said they registered a case of murder against the woman, Pooja Rani, on the complaint of her husband Pradeep Singh. Pooja was arrested after being discharged from the hospital where she was admitted for wrist wounds. “Initial investigation has revealed that the woman was short-tempered and often got angry over trivial things. The child, Kanishka, was crying continuously and did not stop despite her mother’s best efforts to calm her down. In a fit of rage, Pooja allegedly strangled the child to death,” said Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police, Gurugram.

Pooja in her statement to the police said she had no intention of killing her daughter and was only trying to scold the child after grabbing her by the neck. But the child died and once she realised what had happened, the guilt drove her to slit her wrist, said police, quoting Pooja’s statement.

Sangwan said the husband is employed with a leading automobile company in the city and was at work at the time of the incident. “Singh left for work around 1.45pm Sunday, leaving Pooja and Kanishka at home. Around midnight, he returned home to find the house locked from inside. When his repeated knocks went unanswered, he banged on the door multiple times till it finally broke open,” Sangwan said.

“He went inside and found his wife lying on the floor in a pool of blood. She was bleeding from her wrist wounds, but was breathing. Singh then saw his daughter on the bed, lifeless,” Sangwan said, quoting Singh’s statement to the police.

Singh told the police that he was in a state of panic when he called the police control room and one of his relatives who live in the same locality.

“We took Pooja and Kanishka to a government hospital in Sector 10 where the doctor declared Kanishka brought dead while Pooja was admitted for treatment,” said Singh.

A doctor, requesting anonymity, said the woman had a sharp cut with a kitchen knife to her wrists. “The cut was not deep enough to be fatal. She is stable and fit now,” the doctor said.

Based on Singh’s complaint, a case was registered against Pooja under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 10 police station on Sunday. Sangwan said a probe is still underway.