In a shocking and disturbing incident, a 28-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly killing her three-year-old daughter by throwing her into a lake in Rajasthan’s Ajmer, and then pretending the child had gone missing.
The woman, identified as Anjali, also known as Priya, had been living in Ajmer with her live-in partner after leaving her husband. According to an NDTV report, the police said that she had grown frustrated with her partner’s constant taunts about the child from her previous marriage.
On Tuesday night, during a routine patrol, Head Constable Govind Sharma came across a couple walking along a road at a suspicious hour, reports added. Upon inquiry, the woman claimed that she had left home with her daughter, but the child had suddenly disappeared along the way. She told the officer that they had searched for the little girl all night but failed to find her.
However, when police reviewed CCTV footage from the area, serious discrepancies emerged in Anjali’s version of events. As per reports, the footage showed her carrying her daughter in her arms while walking around the Ana Sagar Lake late at night. Hours later, around 1:30 am, she was seen alone, seemingly engrossed in her mobile phone, a detail that contradicted her claim that the child had suddenly gone missing during their outing.
The following morning, on Wednesday, the police discovered the child’s lifeless body floating in the lake. When confronted with the evidence, Anjali reportedly broke down during interrogation and confessed to the crime. She admitted to throwing her daughter into the artificial lake in a premeditated act, carried out alone without anyone’s assistance.
Anjali told the police that her partner, Alkesh, would regularly taunt her about her daughter, which pushed her into a state of emotional distress. Police said Alkesh had been informed of the child’s disappearance by Anjali at around 2 am, after the incident had already occurred.
Originally from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Anjali had relocated to Ajmer after parting ways with her husband. She had been working as a receptionist at a hotel in the city, the same establishment where Alkesh is also employed.
Ajmer police have arrested Anjali on charges of murder and are currently investigating whether Alkesh had any direct or indirect involvement in the killing. While initial findings suggest Anjali acted alone, the police are not ruling out any possibilities and have said that further inquiries are underway.