Noida: 14-yr-old girl kills mother with a frying pan, detained

A 14-year-old girl allegedly killed her mother by hitting her in the head with a frying pan after a heated argument at their home in Sector 77 around 6.30pm on Sunday, police said

A 14-year-old girl allegedly killed her mother by hitting her in the head with a frying pan after a heated argument at their home in Sector 77 around 6.30pm on Sunday, police said. They detained the girl on Tuesday.

(Representational image)

Police said the 35-year-old deceased woman suffered 20-22 blows to the head.

They added she lived with her daughter, a student of Class 9 at a private school in Noida, who claimed she was suffering from mental health issues because her mother abused her.

Sharad Kant Sharma, the station house officer (SHO) of Sector 113 police station, said, “The deceased woman was living with her daughter. She was estranged from her husband who lives in Delhi. Her 11-year-old son lives with his maternal uncle in Delhi as well,” he said.

SHO Sharma said that on Sunday evening, the police received a call from a neighbour, who said the girl informed them that her mother had been “attacked by someone”. Neighbours found the woman severely injured in the washroom. “A police team reached the spot immediately and rushed the victim to Kailash Hospital in Sector 71, where she was declared dead on arrival,” he said.

Dr Rajesh Parashar, the medical superintendent of Kailash hospital, said, “The woman had around 20-22 deep wounds on her head. She had succumbed to her injuries before she was rushed to the hospital.”

SHO Sharma said the deceased woman’s brother (30) filed a complaint. “He suspected the involvement of the girl, as she did not share a good relationship with her mother,” he said.

Kumar Ranvijay Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP), Noida, said that primary investigation revealed the girl’s involvement in the murder. “During interrogation, the girl revealed that she hit her mother with a frying pan several times on the head because she got angry when her mother asked her to do household chores,” he said.

ADCP Singh said that the girl claimed she had mental health issues. “She said her mother would abuse her frequently, due to which she was depressed and anxious,” he added.

The police registered a case of murder against the girl under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). “She was taken into custody and produced before a child welfare committee. Later, she was sent to a juvenile home,” ADCP Singh said.

Anand Pratap Singh, the head of the department of psychology and mental health, Gautam Buddha University, said that parents should constantly monitor their children’s behaviour.

“The lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic may have been detrimental to the mental health of a vast majority of children. Such violent behaviour is a sign of a psychotic condition, which seriously affects the mind. It can be due to changes in the neuro-chemicals of the brain. Sometimes, children face continuous stress in life, and family members fail to understand such behavioural disorders and consider them as misconduct. It is important to seek timely help from mental health professionals and psychologists if children show such deviant and violent behaviour,” Singh said.