UP: Woman drowns 4-year-old niece in water tank; stabs sister-in-law, her 3 other children in Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar: A woman in UP's Muzaffarnagar was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly killing her four-year-old niece by throwing her into a water tank and stabbing her sister-in-law, who apparently opposed her relationship with a neighbour, police said on Tuesday.

In the incident that took place around 2.30 am in Basikala village under Shahpur police station limits, Firdosh (40) and her three other children sustained stab injuries, while her four-year-old daughter was killed after she was thrown into the water tank of the house, police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjay Kumar told reporters that the accused, identified as Mana, resided with his sister-in-law Firdosh, and had a relationship with a neighbour.

The SSP said the incident allegedly took place as Firdosh opposed the "illicit relationship" between her sister-in-law and another man, and had fixed her marriage elsewhere.

The accused, who has been arrested, procured sleeping pills from a source and managed to administer it to the family during the night before she went on the alleged stabbing spree.

She took her niece upstairs and threw her into the water tank, killing the four-year-old, the SSP said.

Firdosh's husband, Imran, was not present at home at the time of the incident.

When asked about the role of Mana's lover, the SSP said it was being probed.

The SSP said the person who procured the sleeping pills for the accused is also under the scanner.

Earlier, Shahpur Station House Officer Gajendra Singh told reporters that Firdosh was severely injured while three of her children sustained minor injuries in the incident. The body of the deceased has been sent for postmortem examination.