A woman, Pooja, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly hacking her three-year-old stepdaughter to death with an axe in Bijhara village, under the Pipraich police station limits. Villagers chased her for nearly a kilometre before capturing her and handing her over to the police.
Pooja had married Triveni Maurya (40) about a month ago. Maurya’s first wife, Laxmi, died two years ago, leaving behind their daughter, Aditi (3).
According to Maurya, the incident occurred late Tuesday night. He had stepped out of the house around 11 pm, leaving his wife and daughter asleep. Pooja allegedly picked up the sleeping child, threw her to the ground, and attacked her with an axe, severing her neck.
Maurya discovered the room soaked in blood upon returning and raised an alarm. Villagers gathered as Pooja attempted to flee. SHO Atul Kumar Srivastava stated that villagers chased her for nearly a kilometre, caught her, tied her up, and then handed her over to the police.
During questioning, Pooja reportedly said she was upset that her husband “loved his daughter more” and wanted to “teach him a lesson.”
Police have recovered the axe used in the crime. The child’s body has been sent for postmortem, and further investigation is ongoing.
