Why did Kanpur father kill his twin daughters? Police probe depression, financial strain

The accused, Shashi Ranjan Mishra, 48,is a former medical representative who had left his job a few years ago and was not working recently.

A father in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur has been arrested for killing his 11-year-old twin daughters by slitting their throats. Police received the details about the horrific incident that took place at Trimoorti Apartment in Kidwai Nagar’s Naubasta area on Sunday.

Police are linking the incident to possible depression or a psychiatric condition. (ANI)

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.”

The accused, Shashi Ranjan Mishra, 48,is a former medical representative who had left his job a few years ago and was not working recently, HT reported earlier.

Why did the father kill his twin daughters?

Police said the exact motive is yet to be established, but inital probe point to possible mental health issues. Investigators are linking the incident to depression or a psychiatric condition and said the accused appeared to be mentally disturbed.

“Prima facie, the father appears to be mentally disturbed. Further investigation is underway,” Commissioner Raghubir Lal said.

During a search of the house, police recovered a large bottle of medicines. Officials, however, said there is no indication of financial strain in the family.

According to police, the accused also cited anxiety about his daughters’ future during questioning, though the motive remains under investigation.

CCTV, statements

The family of five lived in the apartment — Mishra, his wife Reshma, their twin daughters, and a six-year-old son. According to the police, the mother and the younger son were in a separate room at the time.

Reshma told police that the evening had been routine, with the family having dinner before Mishra took the daughters to his room. CCTV footage from inside the house showed that around 2.30 am, Mishra took one of the children to the washroom and later returned. The lights were then switched off.

Mishra confesses to the crime

Police said Mishra has confessed to mixing sleeping pills into the children’s food, after which they were attacked while asleep. Police said the girls were strangled, and later their throats were slit using a cleaver that had been purchased a day earlier.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Deependra Nath Chaudhary said preliminary findings suggest that the girls were attacked while they were asleep.

The weapon used in the crime has been recovered. Forensic teams have examined the scene, and a sniffer dog unit was also deployed. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

What did wife say?

Reshma, who is from Siliguri in West Bengal, told police that Mishra had been struggling mentally following his mother’s death and had earlier expressed a desire to die along with the children.

She said the marriage, which began in 2014, had become strained over time. Mishra allegedly grew suspicious, consumed alcohol and sleeping pills, and had installed CCTV cameras across the house, restricting access to his room where the daughters stayed.

She told officials that she was unaware of the crime until police arrived. “I was asleep. I did not know when it happened,” she said. Her statement forms the basis of the FIR registered at Naubasta police station.

She later demanded strict punishment, stating that he “does not deserve to live”.

Investigation underway

Police said they are examining the sequence of events inside the house, including the timeline captured on CCTV footage. The mother has not yet been fully interrogated and is stated to be in shock.

Officials said multiple aspects, including psychological distress and the circumstances leading up to the incident, are under investigation.