Unnao Shocker: Father of four kids, who died of ‘electrocution’, held for murder
The development comes after Kumar admitted to poisoning and strangling his children. Earlier, he was put in a psychiatry ward following his attempt to kill himself.
KANPUR The Unnao police arrested 40-year-old Virendra Kumar, the father of four children who allegedly lost their lives due to electrocution on November 19, on Friday.
The development comes after Kumar admitted to poisoning and strangling his children. Earlier, he was put in a psychiatry ward following his attempt to kill himself. On Thursday, Kumar was transferred to Unnao after a mental fitness evaluation at King George Medical University in Lucknow. Authorities are tight-lipped over the results of the evaluation.
Speaking on the development, circle officer Maya Rai said that Virendra Kumar’s arrest was based on the FIR filed by his wife, Sheila Devi. She has alleged that an extramarital affair drove him to commit the heinous act of killing his own kids.
“The arrest of Virendra Kumar for the murder of his four children is supported by his wife’s FIR and his recorded confession,” said Rai, refraining from providing details on forensic findings from the viscera examination.
In his confession, the father claimed to have administered a poisonous substance and strangled the children. To mislead investigators, he “strategically placed a pedestal fan nearby, attempting to portray the incident as electrocution.”
Ironically, SP Unnao Siddharth Meena has clarified that the post-mortem conducted by a panel of doctors identified electrocution as the cause of death, finding no traces of poison or signs of strangulation. The viscera was sent to a forensics laboratory based on the wife’s complaint to dispel speculations and ensure a thorough investigation.
It was initially reported that the four children -- Mayank (9), Himanshi (8), Himank (6), and Mansi (4) -- tragically lost their lives while playing near an electrically powered pedestal fan on November 19. The couple, who work as daily wage laborers, was away harvesting paddy crops in a field outside the village of Barasagwar. However, the authorities are revaluting everything after the father’s confession.