Gorakhpur: A 35-year-old woman allegedly hacked her three-year-old stepdaughter to death with an axe in Bijhara village under Pipraich police station limits late Tuesday night. The accused was chased for nearly a kilometre by villagers and handed over to police.The accused, Pooja, had married Triveni Maurya (40) a month ago. Maurya’s first wife, Laxmi, died two years ago, leaving behind their daughter Aditi (3).Maurya told police that he had stepped out of the house around 11 pm and in his absence, Pooja picked up his sleeping child, threw her on the ground and attacked her with an axe, severing her neck. The child died on the spot.Hearing his screams, villagers gathered as Pooja attempted to flee. She was caught after a brief chase and tied up before being handed over to the police.During questioning, the accused allegedly said she was upset as her husband “loved his daughter more” and wanted to “teach him a lesson”. Pipraich SHO Atul Kumar Srivastava said the accused has been arrested and the weapon was recovered. The body was sent for post mortem.
