Man Poisons Three Daughters, Dies by Suicide in Prakasam

Tirupati:A man allegedly poisoned his three daughters to death before dying by suicide in K.V. Agraharam village of Chimakurthy mandal in Prakasam district on Thursday night.

The deceased were identified as E. Sudhakar, 35, and his daughters Achyuta, 13, Poojitha, 11, and Lokitha Sri ,8. According to police, Sudhakar, a former school bus driver who had recently taken up work at a granite quarry, was living with his mother and three daughters after his wife left the family following marital disputes three years ago.

Police suspect that Sudhakar administered poison to the children while they were asleep after dinner. His mother, who slept outside near the family's cattle shed, was reportedly told by Sudhakar on Friday morning not to wake the girls as he would do so after bringing breakfast. He then left the house on his motorcycle.

Later, when the grandmother attempted to wake the children, she found them unresponsive and alerted neighbours. The three girls were found dead on their cot. As Sudhakar was missing, villagers launched a search and found his body hanging from a tree in a field about 250 metres from the house.

Neighbours said Sudhakar had recently incurred some debts, though there were no reports of harassment by creditors. They also stated that his wife had previously sought custody of the children, but the daughters had continued to stay with their father. Police said the exact reason behind the tragedy would be known only after the completion of the investigation.