Man kills three children, then commits suicide in UP

Unable to pay back loans to money lenders, a desperate daily wage labourer in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday killed his three children by giving them poison before committing suicide, police said.

Sagir, a resident of Lakhipura area in Meerut, about 400 km from Lucknow, had taken a loan for his wife's treatment. His children were aged between 10 and 14, police said.

"Preliminary investigations reveal that Sagir took the extreme step due to poor financial condition. He took loans from several money lenders for medical treatment of his wife, who died a few months ago," police inspector Rajesh Verma told reporters.

"Sagir was a daily-wage labourer and had told his neighbours on several occasions that he would commit suicide if his financial condition did not improve," he said.