Mentally ill woman in Delhi who chopped baby may have also killed other son

Hari Shankar’s wife Sarika allegedly decapitated their eight-month-old son at their Aman Vihar home in Delhi. He said that he now suspects their first child, too, was murdered.

Until Thursday, Hari Shankar believed his 18-month-old son had died of unknown medical reasons four years ago. But with his wife Sarika allegedly decapitating their eight-month-old son at their Aman Vihar home on Friday morning, he said that he now suspects their first child, too, was murdered.

The room where Sarika allegedly decapitated her eight-month-old son in outer Delhi’s Aman Vihar early on Friday. (HT Photo)

“My first son had suddenly died in June 2014. Only my wife was at home at that time. We thought he died of some unknown illness. But now I remember there was a red mark on my son’s neck. It is possible my wife had killed him too,” said Shankar.

The police were never approached back then, but the circumstances of the death were raised during the police investigations on Friday. “The murdered boy’s family brought up the issue. But I cannot confirm or deny it (whether the previous death was a murder),” said MN Tiwari, deputy commissioner of police (outer).

However, both Shankar and the DCP denied rumours that the toddler’s brutal murder on Friday was a result of “black magic”. Several neighbours had alleged that when the accused, Sarika, was being taken away from the crime scene, they found blood smeared on her face. “Some neighbours began spreading rumours that the blood on my wife’s face was related to ‘black magic’. After the murder, she was lying unconscious with her face on the body,” said Shankar who sells clothes at a local flea market.

However, Shankar said her “errant” behaviour continued despite treatment. “Sarika would react unusually aggressively with me. Doctors asked me not to pressure her into doing household chores. So, I began assisting her in chores, but she remained extremely moody,” said Shankar.

Shankar, as well as other relatives, insisted that Sarika never displayed her aggressive side in front of her children. Other than the son that was killed on Friday, the couple had two daughters.

“She loved her newborn son. She would let her two daughters spend most of their time with me, but she refused to part with her son,” said Sarika’s mother-in-law, Mohini Devi.

On Friday, Sarika’s two daughters, aged seven and two, were at their house in Aman Vihar. While the younger child slept unaware, the older girl was seen munching on snacks.

“Since Sarika was mentally disturbed, we took it upon ourselves to raise her two daughters,” said Mohini Devi.

Frequent smiles on the seven-year-old girl’s face indicated she was unaware of the tragedy.

“I don’t know how to break this news to my daughters. I am angry at my wife, but I also feel sad for her. She was suffering mentally, but she wasn’t someone who would kill our child,” said Shankar.