Thane woman ‘poisons’ self & daughter, both die; son refuses to drink liquid

Thane: A 39-year-old woman allegedly poisoned her teen daughter before consuming the same substance herself at their Shantinagar residence last week. While both mother and daughter died during treatment, the woman's minor son narrowly escaped after refusing to drink the liquid offered to him.The initial probe revealed the woman had been undergoing treatment for a mental illness since 2023. Police said her medical records were scrutinised, and the fact was corroborated by relatives and neighbours, an official said. The deceased have been identified as Rekha Jain (39) and daughter Khushi (19). Rekha's husband, Rajendra, who runs a scrap shop in Shantinagar near Wagle Estate, narrated the incident in his statement to the Shrinagar police.According to him, his son Daksh (18) went to school for an exam on Wednesday morning and later visited his father's shop around 10:30am. Rajendra handed him the house keys, after which the boy went home. When Daksh failed to return for a long time, Rajendra called him, only to learn that his mother and sister had returned from their native place and were in a locked bedroom, the FIR with the police stated.When Rajendra called, Rekha allegedly told him Khushi was changing clothes. Moments later, Daksh informed his father that his mother had asked him to drink some "holy water," but he had refused. Soon after, the boy called again, saying he could hear his sister coughing violently inside, a police officer said.Alarmed, Rajendra rushed home and found the bedroom locked. After repeated knocks, Khushi opened the door but started vomiting immediately. Rekha was later found sitting under a running tap in the bathroom, repeatedly saying, "I made a mistake, please forgive me."Both were rushed to the hospital, where Rekha reportedly told doctors she had consumed poison and hidden the bottle inside the washing machine. Rekha was declared dead around 2 pm while Khushi succumbed around five hours later.Police initially registered an accidental death report (ADR), later converting it into a FIR under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the BNS against the deceased woman for allegedly administering poison to her daughter and attempting to poison her son. Further probe is underway, the police said.