Four minors, aged between five months and seven years, were found dead in a well on Thursday, while their mother, who is suspected of throwing them into a body of water, was found hanging at her home in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district, police said on Thursday.
Prima facie, it appears that the woman, Savita Lodhi (30), threw her four daughters into a well and later hanged herself at her house in Khamaria village, about 50 km from the district headquarters, City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Lalit Kashyap said, PTI reported.
How did the incident come to light?
A 28-year-old woman lived with her father-in-law and younger sister.
According to a HT report, the family went to bed after dinner on Wednesday night (March 11). The next morning, the woman’s father-in-law noticed that she and the children were missing. At first, the family assumed they had gone somewhere nearby, but when they did not return in the afternoon, he alerted the villagers.
The minors were later discovered in a well, while a 28-year-old man was found hanging.
After receiving information about the incident which created panic in the village, personnel of Kesli police station reached the spot and started investigation, reported news channel PTI.
According to the police, the reason for the murder-suicide was not yet known.
Bodies recovered from the well
The sisters, aged between five months and seven years, drowned in a well located in an agricultural field belonging to a local farmer. Police said three of the bodies have been recovered so far with the help of villagers.
Police are questioning the family members of the deceased and local residents to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident, the CSP said.
“A woman gave birth to four daughters”
Authorities are awaiting the arrival of the husband, who works as a bus attendant in Jabalpur.
Villagers told police the couple had been married for about 10 years and were hoping for a son. However, the woman gave birth to four daughters and after the birth of the youngest child, her husband reportedly stopped coming home, Hindustan Times reported.
