Woman Allegedly Kidnaps, Buries Toddler Alive To Exact Revenge On Victim's Parents

A toddler has died in India after she was allegedly kidnapped and buried alive by a neighbor who wanted to exact revenge on her parents.

The unidentified 2-year-old girl from Ludhiana, a city in the northern state of Punjab, was allegedly buried alive in a field Sunday after being abducted from her home.

Police recovered the toddler from a pit in the Salem Tabri area, around 7 miles from her residence. She was rushed to a hospital but did not survive.

The suspect was later identified as the victim's 35-year-old neighbor, Neelam. The woman was arrested after she confessed to the crime, reported Hindustan Times.

According to a preliminary investigation, Neelam held a grudge against the victim's father, Harpreet Singh, who is a police officer in the area. Singh stopped the woman's children from playing in the street, so she decided to exact revenge on him, The Tribune said in a report.

The investigation began Sunday after Singh reported to police that his daughter was missing. Police searched the houses of the neighbors for the missing child, including Neelam's, but she initially denied having any information about the toddler.

However, while reviewing CCTV footage of the area, police found Neelam driving away with the kid on her scooter.

"The police rounded up the woman and questioned her. She confessed to the crime. We rescued the toddler and rushed her to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared her brought dead," J Elanchezhian, a senior investigating officer, said as per Hindustan Times.

A case has been registered against Neelam on charges of kidnapping and murder. Meanwhile, the officials are investigating if Neelam's family members were also involved in the crime as they believe the suspect would not be able to bury the child in the pit on her own.

According to Elanchezhian, Neelam is divorced and has been staying in her maternal home since 2015. Her children had a fight with other kids in the street after which some neighbors complained to her.

"Since then, she started believing that everyone was against her and her children," the officer said further.

It was also found that a few days prior to the incident, she had an argument with Singh and his wife due to some minor issue.

Last week, a 55-year-old woman was arrested in India for allegedly burying her husband alive in their backyard. The woman, identified as Lakshmi, from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, confessed to the crime but reportedly told the cops she was only following the victim's instructions so he could "attain immortality."