A day after a 27-year-old woman allegedly strangled her three minor daughters to death in southeast Delhi's Ambedkar Nagar area, police claimed that her fourth daughter had a narrow escape as she was not home at the time of the incident.
Radha Devi had yesterday strangled the three daughters aged 8 months, 3 and 8 years, and attempted suicide by hanging from a tree behind her house.
Police said the eldest daughter, aged 10 years, had a narrow escape as she had gone out at the time of the incident.
The police is waiting to record the mother's statement. She is believed to be in depression and was admitted to Safdarjung hospital, police said.
Denying reports that Radha was pressurised for bearing a male child, her husband Raju Singh said, "We never pressurised her for anything. In fact, I used to tell her not to worry if we don't have a son but she would not listen to me. She was undergoing treatment from ESI hospital in Okhla."
"After giving birth to a fourth girl child, Radha became extremely upset. She would often leave house for hours and not return. She had threatened earlier about killing their daughters," Singh added.
Singh works as a tailor and has been staying in Ambedkar Nagar for the past 15 years. He is a native of Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. The couple has been married for ten years.
Radha Devi had called her husband before committing the act but before he could reach home, she had taken the extreme step, police said, adding that the woman was undergoing treatment for anxiety and depression.
Police said that they are probing the matter from all possible angles and will take action accordingly.
"Police will soon ascertain the motive behind the extreme act and are waiting to record Radha's statement," said a senior police official.
