PATIALA: The police recovered a five-year-old girl who had gone missing on Monday night in Samana division of Patiala district in

. The police have arrested the mother of the girl, claiming that she herself had thrown her daughter in the water tank of their

’s house to avenge her insult.

Police said that the accused, Suman Rani, had gone to her maternal house in Alampur village of Samana division in Patiala to spend a month-long summer vacation along with her children. Around a week ago, Suman Rani stole Rs 4,000 from the neighbours of her maternal home, but returned the money next day after the neighbour, Gurnam Singh, insulted her publicly and levelled allegations of theft against her.

Samana DSP Jaswant Singh Mangat said, “Suman Rani got married to Gurpreet Singh of Rongla village of Sangrur around seven years ago and the couple had two children, including five-year-old daughter and around two-year-old son. She had allegedly stolen Rs 4,000 from her neighbour’s house, but later confessed and returned the money after a neighbour Gurnam insulted her by abusing her. Suman now wanted to take an avenge from Gurnam and thus she dropped her own daughter in the water tank kept on the terrace of Gurnam’s house.”

“Suman Rani then approached the police along with her husband and alleged her daughter was kidnapped by someone, but some villagers noticed the screaming of the girl and informed the police. The girl was recovered and revealed that her mother had thrown her in the water tank. We arrested the accused woman who later admitted her crime,” the DSP added.

The police said that girl’s mother claimed that she was not only insulted but even her husband refused to take her back home.

“Suman Rani wanted to avenge and after hiding her daughter, she reached police with a missing complaint and we registered the case and initiated a probe immediately. The girl was covered in the water tank with a heavy cemented cover, but the level of the water in the tank was up to half the height of the girl. Suman crossed the boundary walls of the roof and reached the house of Gurnam along with her daughter to commit the crime. The girl was rescued and rushed to the government hospital where she is under observation,” SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu said.