In the areas of Panipat, Sonipat, and Gohana in Haryana, one woman's name is gaining notoriety... Poonam. She has been arrested on charges of murdering four children. Police say this woman would drown beautiful and innocent-looking children in water, each time dismissing it as an accident.
On December 1, 2025, the death of a six-year-old girl in Noltha village unraveled an unsettling truth. During police questioning, a horrifying sequence of four incidents emerged that shook the entire area. Villagers, family members, and in-laws couldn't believe that the daughter-in-law of the house, an educated woman and B.Ed graduate, and a mother... would turn out to be a serial killer.
Poonam was married to Naveen in 2019 in Bhawad village, Sonipat. Naveen runs a washing service center in Gohana. After marriage, Poonam pursued her B.Ed degree. The family recounts that initially, everything seemed normal. Poonam was a quiet, soft-spoken daughter-in-law who kept to herself.
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In 2021, her son Shubham was born, adding happiness to the family. But nobody realized that Poonam was silently gripped by a terrifying mental illness, which would be unveiled two years later.
2023: A Double Tragedy Mistaken as an 'Accident'
January 13, 2023 - In Bhawad village, Sonipat, Poonam's sister-in-law Pinky came to their maternal home with her 11-year-old daughter, Ishika. The house was bustling throughout the day. However, when Ishika was seen alone in the evening, according to the police, Poonam lured her into the house and drowned her in a water tank, revealing an astonishing truth.
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The police stated that to depict the murders as an 'accident,' Poonam submerged her three-year-old son, Shubham, in the tank too. The family assumed Shubham slipped into the tank and that Ishika might have tried to save him. The dual deaths were considered an unfortunate accident. Even today, the in-laws say they never suspected... they treated it as an accident. But in reality, it marked the beginning of serial killings.
Source: aajtak
Second Incident: August 18, 2025, Niece Murdered at Maternal Home
In 2025, Poonam visited her maternal village Siwah, staying overnight at her relative Deepak's house. The police said that during the night, Poonam woke up Deepak’s 10-year-old daughter, Jia, and took her to the animal enclosure. There, she drowned her in a water tank. The next day, when the family found the child dead, they believed it was an accident. Jia's uncle had suspected at the time that it was unlikely that the child could have fallen into the water on her own, but Poonam’s mother and some family members dismissed it as a false accusation. This murder, too, was buried without any investigation.
The Third and Fourth Incidents: December 1, 2025, The Truth Unfolds in Noltha Village
On November 30, Satpal's daughter got married, and the procession departed on December 1. Most of the household was busy with guests. During this time, six-year-old Vidhi was going upstairs. According to the police, Poonam followed her and drowned Vidhi in a water tub outside the storeroom on the roof. The tub was only a foot deep, whereas Vidhi was taller than that, causing suspicion among relatives that the child couldn't have fallen in directly. When the police interrogated Poonam, she initially resisted before breaking down and disclosing shocking revelations.
She had drowned and killed four children, including her son Shubham. She felt anger or envy towards beautiful children. After each murder, she experienced a sense of mental satisfaction and victory. This disclosure sent tremors through the police team, village, and entire region.
In-Laws in Disbelief... Devr and Villagers React?
When Poonam was arrested by the police, the media reached Bhawad village, where her brother-in-law Praveen and many villagers were in disbelief. Poonam's brother-in-law stated that they never suspected anything. They considered the deaths of their sister and nephew in 2023 as an accident. Today, they discovered that she committed all of this. Villagers expressed that she was a quiet woman who kept to herself, and her behavior never gave away anything suspicious.
A village woman named Rani said if someone had told them about her killing children, they wouldn't have believed it. The same sister-in-law who put her daughter to death now feeds her son… this, too, is a big phenomenon. Following Poonam’s arrest, her two-year-old son is currently with the family, cared for by the very sister-in-law whose daughter Vidhi was her last victim.
Child's Relatives Demand: She Deserves the Death Penalty
Crying and shock are prevalent in the village of Gangana, Gohana. In 2023, the family believed Ishika's death to be an accident. They were informed that Ishika and her little brother had fallen into the water tank, resulting in both children's deaths. However, after the investigation by Panipat police and Poonam’s confession, the reality emerged that Ishika’s death was murder, not an accident.
Source: aajtak
Ishika's mother Pinky, father Satish, and grandparents expressed their anguish. Pinky tearfully said they were told both children fell into the water tank… we thought it was an accident. But now it’s revealed that my child was drowned by her. She's a witch, not a woman... she deserves the death penalty.
The family recounts that during the incident, Ishika had gone to her uncle's house. It was during this time they were informed that both children had fallen into the tank. The family accepted it as fate, but now the uncovered truth leaves them in utter shock.
Grandfather Dharampal and grandmother Premo said they thought it was bad luck when their granddaughter passed away. But now it’s revealed she was killed… and that too by the daughter-in-law of the family. She deserves the death penalty. Father Satish said that just as our child was drowned, she should face the same punishment. How can someone be so brutal? She’s a monster.
What Did Poonam's Husband Naveen Say?
While Ishika's family is in shock, on the other side, in West Ram Nagar, Sonipat, Poonam's husband Naveen shared shocking details with Aaj Tak. Naveen said she never let anyone suspect. She cared for the children… then killed them. She worked so cleanly that no one would think otherwise. Naveen expressed anger with himself for not realizing the truth even with the death of their three-year-old son, which he assumed was an accident.
The Occult Angle? Husband Denies Any Involvement
Many raised questions about whether Poonam was in contact with an occultist. Her husband Naveen dismissed these entirely. Naveen stated that they never visited any occultist… nor was there any ritual. Whatever Poonam did, she did alone. Her brother-in-law Sandeep also recounted dreadful incidents. Sandeep shared that once Poonam spilled boiling tea on Vidhi’s face. When asked why she did it, she said that Vidhi would grow up to be very beautiful and therefore burned her face. Sometimes, her actions seemed as though she was possessed. She would say she wished to destroy everyone.
