Ludhiana: Toddler buried alive by neighbour over old enmity, dies; one held

The toddler was rescued and rushed to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was murdered on Sunday by her neighbour, who allegedly buried her alive in a pit in Salem Tabri area of Ludhiana.

Ludhiana police arrested the woman who had allegedly kidnapped the girl from the Shimlapuri area and later buried her alive after digging a pit in a field in Salem Tabri. The toddler was rescued and rushed to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

Police said that the accused woman, identified as Neelam (35) of Shimlapuri, had kidnapped Dilroz Kaur (2), the daughter of her neighbour Harpreet Singh, due to an old rivalry and buried her alive after digging a pit in a field.

After the incident, Neelam returned home and acted as if nothing was out of place even as the family launched a search for their missing daughter.

The police were informed about the incident and they scanned CCTVs installed in nearby areas. In one of the footage, they found Neelam driving away with Dilroz on her scooter. Confronted with evidence, Neelam cracked during interrogation and confessed to the crime.

Police arrested the accused and an FIR was lodged under Section 364 (kidnapping with intent to kill) of IPC at Shimlapuri police station.

Detailing the incident, J Elanchezhian, joint commissioner of police (JCP), Ludhiana city, said that they received a call from Harpreet Singh at around 3.15 pm stating that his daughter Dilroz Kaur was missing.

Elanchezhian said that the police first searched houses of neighbours, including the house of Neelam, during which she not only denied having any knowledge about Dilroz, but also behaved very normally. When police scanned CCTVs installed in the area they spotted Neelam taking away the toddler on her scooter.

“The police detained the woman and interrogated her at length. During questioning she confessed to the crime and said that she had buried the girl in a pit in a field in Salem Tabri. A police team immediately rushed to the spot, dug put the toddler and rushed her to DMCH, where doctors declared her brought dead,” he added.

Neelam is divorced and has been living with her two sons. “A few days ago Neelam had been involved in a spat with Harpreet Singh and his wife over a petty issue. Ever since that she had been nursing a grudge against them and the murder was a fallout of that,” said the officer.

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