Panchkula triple murder: Police now say uncle killed children for property

The development came a day after the accused cited a completely different motive and identified the children’s father as the main conspirator.

A man who shot dead his two young nephews and a niece at point-blank range in Haryana has said that he committed the crime for property, police said on Thursday, a day after claiming a completely different motive that identified the children’s father as the main conspirator.

Grandmother, Dhanno Devi, said her son, Sonu, wanted to get rid of his three children because he was involved in an extramarital affair. (HT Photo)

Jagdeep, 26, is now also suspected of killing his younger brother two years ago with the same motive.

On Sunday, Jagdeep took the three children — aged 3,8 and 11 — of his cousin Sonu to a forest in Morni 110kms from their village and murdered them. The bodies were found on Tuesday after police questioned members of the family and Jagdeep ostensibly revealed the murder and its location.

“Earlier, he had alleged that he had committed the crime at the behest of Sonu, who was having an extramarital affair and wanted to get rid of the children so that he could marry his paramour. Now, he claims it was due to property,” Parteek Kumar, the investigating officer (IO) in the case, said.

Kumar said Jagdeep also confessed to murdering his younger brother, Varinder, around two years ago. Varinder was 13 at the time and was found hanging in his room and his death was described as suicide by the family.

The affair motive too has been strong, with even Sonu’s parents saying they believed the killings were because the father wanted to separate from his wife.

Investigators are yet to arrest Sonu or establish that his affair was the main reason. A police team has been sent to Himachal Pradesh to question the woman allegedly involved with Sonu.

Villagers gathered outside the mortuary of General Hospital in Panchkula, where the autopsy of the children was performed. They said that two years ago when Varinder was found dead, they found it difficult to believe he had taken his own life.

“We were further shocked when two months later, Jagdeep’s wife celebrated the birthday of their son,” said a villager.

Hindu families observe a period of mourning for at least a year after a person dies and do not celebrate any festival or other ceremonies as a mark of respect for the dead.

Sonu owns a photo studio in Kaithal and Jagdeep works in the fields and had recently taken admission in a college. Jagdeep is married and has a three-and-a-half-year-old child.