Mentally ill woman kills 11-year-old daughter, attempts suicide

A 42-year-old woman in Mumbai killed her 11-year-old daughter before attempting suicide. She was under psychiatric treatment and had stopped taking her medication.

MUMBAI: A 42-year-old woman from Borivali who was under psychiatric treatment for several years allegedly killed her 11-year-old daughter on Thursday before attempting suicide herself. The incident occurred at around 8.30pm, when her husband and daughter tried to persuade her to take medication. Currently undergoing treatment at the Shatabdi hospital, the woman has been booked for murder and is likely to be arrested once she is discharged, said police officials.

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According to the complainant and her husband, the woman, a make-up artist, was adopted by his father when she was very young and worked as a ragpicker. He had her married to his son, a tattoo artist, around 12 years ago, and the couple opened a salon in Borivali east. Their daughter, who was born in within a year of their marriage, did not believe that her mother was mentally ill, her father stated in the complaint.

A few months ago, the woman had fled to Gujarat with her daughter, but he had convinced her and brought her back to Mumbai, said police. The couple had regular fights as the woman suspected him of having an affair; in more recent weeks, the fights were over her stopping her psychiatric medication.

“A few days ago, she tried slitting her husband’s throat with a blade, which left a distinctive mark on his neck,” said a police officer.

Following this incident, the woman started living in a separate room with her daughter. On Thursday night, when she refused her pills, the daughter urged her father in the adjoining room to take a pill just to demonstrate to her mother. After this, she went to her mother to convince her to take the pill, when she locked herself inside the room with her, said police.

“When the father knocked, the daughter said her mother was not allowing her to open the door. This was the last he heard from the girl,” said the officer. A few minutes later, when he heard the woman scream, he knocked on the door frantically, but did not get a response, He slid his mobile phone under the door and saw a pool of blood on the phone’s screen, following which he called the police emergency number.

“When we broke open the door, we the girl lying on the floor with a dupatta wrapped around her neck while her mother was lying in a pool of blood, her wrist slit with a blade,” said the officer. Both mother and daughter were rushed to Shatabdi hospital, where the girl was declared dead on arrival.

“She was very intelligent and expressive. She described her feelings and emotions in a diary,” said the officer, who searched the family’s three-bedroom apartment.

The woman is currently undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit as she lost a lot of blood. She has been booked under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and is likely to be arrested after she is discharged from the hospital.