Unemployed man kills wife and 3 children in Ghaziabad

A software engineer has allegedly killed his wife and three children in Ghaziabad, police said Monday.

On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, Sumit Kumar, the accused, served sedative laced drinks to his wife Anshu Bala (32), son Prathimesh (5), daughter Akriti and son Arav (twins aged 4 years) and then slit their throats, City, Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar.

The bodies were found 22 hours after the incident on Sunday, following a message from Kumar in his family WhatsApp group in which he admits to the killings, said the superintendent.

Kumar, a native of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, married Anshu Bala in 2011. He lost his job in December last year, since then he was depressed and in debt, Shlok Kumar said.

Though Bala was teaching in a nearby school and giving tuition, Kumar's father-in-law was helping him meet family expenses.

On Sunday, Kumar posted a video on a family WhatsApp group, narrating how he killed his wife and kids, said the superintendent.

Kumar further said he will commit suicide, for which he had purchased poison.

After being alerted, the police recovered the bodies in Kumar's flat and sent them for post-mortem, Shlok Kumar said.

Police is trying to find Kumar. His phone is not reachable and it is not known whether he is dead or alive, police said.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) has been alerted of the matter, the superintendent added.

Meanwhile, the police and the drugs department sealed Hukum Medical Store in Indirapuram and arrested its owner, Maneesh, for allegedly selling potassium cyanide to Kumar.

The medical store's licence had expired two years ago, Shlok Kumar said.