Representative image used to depict murder.
Credit: iStock Photo
Ahmedabad: A woman in Gujarat’s Navsari district allegedly strangled her two minor sons to death for the “salvation of her ancestors,” police said on Friday. The accused, Sunita Sharma, has been arrested.
According to officials, the incident took place on Thursday night in a flat located in the Desra area of Bilimora town. Sharma, originally from Uttar Pradesh, lived there with her husband Shivkant, their two sons aged seven and four, and her parents-in-law, Indrapal and Susri.
Police said Sharma’s husband was admitted to a private hospital after being diagnosed with typhoid. On Thursday night, her in-laws visited the hospital to deliver food to him and returned home to sleep.
“Sunita, who had been disturbed for some days, suddenly started praying to a deity in the middle of the night and strangled both her sons to death for the salvation of her ancestors,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police B. V. Gohil.
After killing the children, Sharma allegedly entered her in-laws’ room and attempted to strangle her father-in-law. He managed to escape by running out of the house and alerted neighbours.
When neighbours attempted to enter the flat, Sharma locked the main door from inside and refused to open it. Police later broke open the door and found her sitting beside the bodies of her children, after which she was taken into custody.