A court in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam has sentenced a woman to double life imprisonment for murdering her four-month-old twin children by drowning them in a water storage tank, while her husband has been awarded three years' rigorous imprisonment for concealing evidence by burying the bodies without informing the police.

The verdict was delivered by Eighth Additional District and Sessions Judge Nirmal Mandoriya, nearly one-and-a-half years after the shocking incident that had drawn widespread public attention.

Twins Found Dead in Water Tank

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on November 20, 2024, at a rented house in Ratlam's Ved Vyas Colony. Landlord Irshad Qureshi informed police after neighbours reported that tenant Pummy alias Muskan had raised an alarm claiming her infant twins, Hasan and Fatima, had fallen into a water storage tank.

Residents rushed to the house and found both four-month-old children inside the Sintex water tank. Their father, Aamir Qureshi, was not at home when the incident occurred. By the time the children were pulled out, both had died.

Bodies Buried Without Informing Police

Instead of reporting the deaths to police, Aamir allegedly took the bodies with the help of a friend and buried them at a local cemetery. After receiving information about the suspicious deaths, Manak Chowk police registered a case of unnatural death.

The following day, authorities exhumed the bodies and conducted post-mortem examinations, which confirmed that both infants had died due to drowning.

Investigation Pointed to Mother

During the investigation, police recreated the incident using a baby doll and examined whether the children could have accidentally fallen into the tank. Investigators concluded that the deaths were not accidental.

According to the prosecution, Muskan became angry after her husband and mother-in-law ignored her request not to leave for a family funeral. She had reportedly expressed concern that she would be unable to manage both infants alone.

Police alleged that, in a fit of anger, she deliberately drowned one child in the water tank before repeating the act with the second infant. She later informed her husband over the phone that the children were missing.

Conviction Based on Circumstantial Evidence

Additional Public Prosecutor Sanjeev Singh Chauhan told the court that although 16 of the 24 prosecution witnesses turned hostile, the chain of circumstantial evidence, forensic findings and investigation established the mother's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The court convicted Muskan of murdering both children and sentenced her to two life terms, along with a fine of ₹10,000.

Her husband, Aamir Qureshi, was convicted for destroying evidence after secretly burying the bodies without informing law enforcement. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment and fined ₹2,000.

The judgment brings closure to one of Ratlam's most disturbing child murder cases, where investigators relied heavily on forensic evidence and circumstantial proof after several witnesses retracted their statements during trial.