A man allegedly killed his 11-year-old twin daughters by slitting their throats with a cleaver after giving them food laced with sleeping pills at an apartment in Kanpur, police said.
Shashi Ranjan Mishra (48) a medical representative, was arrested from his house, police said.
According to his wife, Reshma, Mr. Mishra had been mentally disturbed following his mother's death and had repeatedly expressed a desire to die along with the children. She demanded the death penalty for him, saying that he "does not deserve to live".
The crime took place at Kidwai Nagar's Trimoorti Apartment in the Naubasta area, where Mr. Mishra lived with his wife, Ms. Reshma, who hails from West Bengal's Siliguri, his 11-year-old twin daughters, and their six-year-old son.
Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal told PTI, "A police response vehicle received a call at around 4.30 am about the murder of twin sisters. On reaching the flat, the personnel found both girls lying dead in a pool of blood, while the accused was present inside." Mr. Mishra, who originally hails from Bihar, himself alerted them about the incident. He has been detained and is being questioned, Mr. Lal said, adding that "Prima facie, the father appears to be mentally disturbed. Further investigation is underway." Forensic teams have inspected the scene and collected evidence, while a sniffer dog unit was also called. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for a post-mortem.
