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Woman kills 4 daughters, attempts suicide

Police in Nuh (about 40km from Gurugram) said they received a call from the woman’s husband on Friday morning, informing them about the murders of his daughters,who were between six months and eight years old.

Updated on: Nov 28, 2020, 06:08:41 IST
Hindustan Times, Gurugram | By
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A 35-year-old woman, apparently suffering from depression for over six months because of fights with her husband because the couple did not have any male children, allegedly slit the throats of her four daughters with a kitchen knife on Thursday night, and later attempted suicide, the police said.

The woman was found unconscious in the house, police said. She is in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in Nalhar, where a police team has been deployed to record her statement once she is in the condition to give one. (Getty Images/iStockphoto (Representative Image))
The woman was found unconscious in the house, police said. She is in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in Nalhar, where a police team has been deployed to record her statement once she is in the condition to give one. (Getty Images/iStockphoto (Representative Image))

Police in Nuh (about 40km from Gurugram) said they received a call from the woman’s husband on Friday morning, informing them about the murders of his daughters,who were between six months and eight years old.

The woman was found unconscious in the house, police said. She is in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in Nalhar, where a police team has been deployed to record her statement once she is in the condition to give one. A case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the woman at the Punhana police station.

HT is not naming the accused or giving exact locations because the crime could be linked to mental illness.

Vivek Choudhary, deputy superintendent of police (Punhana), said that the husband was away on Thursday night on a condolence visit because a family in the vicinity had lost three members in a road accident. “He returned at around 3am on Friday, and knocked the door. When his wife did not open it for a while, he tried to prise open a window. He saw two of his daughters lying in a pool of blood on a bed in one of the rooms,” he said.

Choudhary added that once the husband raised the alarm, relatives and neighbours broke down the door. They found the bodies of two other daughters on another bed in the hall, and the woman lying in her bedroom. All the girls had injury marks on their necks. There were two injury marks on the woman’s neck. She allegedly attacked herself with a kitchen knife after she killed her daughters.

The neighbours found that was no entry from outside, and the main gate and the room was locked from inside, so they did not suspect role of any outsider,” the DSP said.

The husband told the police on Friday that his wife was depressed because they did not have a male child. The two were married since 2012. Police said the woman had another daughter from and earlier marriage -- the girl lives with her father and the woman wanted to bring her to live with her family, but the husband did not allow it.

Some neighbours, however, told the police that the couple often fought, and the husband blamed his wife for not delivering a son. “She was under tremendous pressure to produce a son,” a neighbour told HT on condition of anonymity.

The husband denied allegations that he wanted a male child, and said that he was attached to all his daughters and loved them dearly

DSP Choudhary said the bodies of girls were handed over to the father after the post-mortem examination. The doctors confirmed that their throats were slit, and they died due to excessive bleeding.

“We are conducting investigation and a team of forensic experts was called to the spot. Fingerprints and other samples were collected by them. We haven’t given a clean shot to the husband yet, and he is under the scanner,” Choudhary said.

  • Leena Dhankhar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Leena Dhankhar

    Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More