A 27-year-old woman from Thane was arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing her three minor daughters by poisoning them after being distressed over domestic issues. According to a report in Mid-Day, the accused, a housewife living at Talepada in Asnoli village under Shahapur area, allegedly mixed a pesticide in "varan bhat" (a traditional rice and lentil dish) and served it to her daughters, aged 5, 8 and 10, on July 20, a senior police official said. The girls soon experienced health complications, including vomiting and giddiness, and were rushed to a local hospital. As their condition worsened, two of them were later admitted to a hospital in Mumbai where they died on July 24 and July 25.
Another girl was shifted to a hospital in Nashik where she succumbed on July 24, the official said, reported the PTI. Initially, the Khinavli police registered a case of accidental death.However, the autopsy report on Saturday night confirmed the presence of poison in the children's bodies, the police said. Acting swiftly on the crucial evidence, the police registered a case of murder against the children's mother and arrested her around 2 am on Sunday, the official said. The accused had been grappling with domestic issues, including her husband's habit of liquor consumption, as per the police. She had separated from her husband and was struggling to care for her three daughters which apparently drove her to the crime