Financial crisis forces Bhopal woman to kill sons

Additional deputy police commissioner Shrutikirti Somvanshi said Sapna Dhakad has confessed to the crime and said her husband worked as a driver but lost his job after an accident

Published on: Sep 27, 2022, 16:39:22 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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The Madhya Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested a 27-year-old woman in Bhopal for allegedly strangling her 20-day-old twin sons due to the financial crisis her family faced after her husband lost his job following an accident, a police officer said.

The woman allegedly strangled her 20-day-old twin sons. (Getty Images)

Additional deputy police commissioner Shrutikirti Somvanshi said Sapna Dhakad has confessed to the crime and said her husband worked as a driver but lost his job after the accident. “Her brother-in-law was taking care of their expenses...after she gave birth to the twins on September 7, the tension increased in the family...used to curse her for giving birth to two babies...they were facing difficulty in bearing expenses.”

Dhakad first told police the twins went missing when she left them on a footpath before using a public toilet. “The police found the woman was lying. When the police questioned her and showed her CCTV footage, her explanations were erratic,” said Somvanshi.

On Tuesday, police found the decomposed bodies of the twins in a bush. When police interrogated Dhakad, she initially said her husband killed the babies before confessing.

Dhakad allegedly strangled the babies and threw the bodies as she did not have money to take care of them.

Sapna’s husband, Brijkishore Dhakad, said they also have a two-year-old daughter. “We are facing a financial crisis but I promised my wife that I will take care of the babies.”

Police said they were interrogating Dhakad to know whether she committed the crime alone or if someone helped her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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