In a devastating and heart-wrenching incident that has left an entire community in shock, a husband and wife in Punjab's Jalandhar district have been arrested for allegedly poisoning their three minor daughters to death. The harrowing incident unfolded on a fateful Sunday, casting a grim shadow over Kanpur village in the district.
Identified as nine-year-old Amrita Kumari, seven-year-old Knachan, and just three-year-old Vaasu, the three sisters fell victim to the unforgiving grip of poverty that had tightened its hold on their family. Their father Sunil Mandal, plagued by the torment of addiction, and his wife Manju Mandal, found themselves at the cruel crossroads of financial despair. They took the unimaginable step of ending their children's lives, a decision that has left their community reeling in grief.
The Mandal family, originally hailing from Bihar, had migrated to Punjab in search of a better life. Their existence revolved around the meager earnings from daily wage labor, a far cry from the security and comfort every child deserves.
Jalandhar rural Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar shared the heartbreaking news that there were no visible signs of physical harm on the fragile bodies of the three sisters. Post-mortem examinations are underway to unveil the agonizing truth behind their untimely demise.
According to Mandal’s neighbours, he told them his daughters were missing when he returned home around 8 pm Sunday. The landlord filed a police complaint around 11 pm, following which the police visited the area and searched for the missing girls. Since no leads were found, the police returned.
On Monday morning, neighbours saw Mandal moving out of his house carrying a heavy trunk. They made him open it and found the girls’ lifeless bodies inside. He allegedly claimed that the girls got locked inside the trunk, leading to death due to suffocation.
Neighbors recounted frequent family disputes involving Mandal, along with a history of domestic violence. The landlord, who had rented the property to Mandal two months prior, had previously requested that he vacate the premises due to his erratic behavior.
