Bankrupt jeweller attempts to kill his children

AHMEDABAD: In a shocking incident, a jeweller going through acute financial crisis, attempted to kill his children. The jeweller, Jignesh Soni, a resident of Akashganga Flats tried to strangle his two kids, Preet, 10, and Pearl, 6, on Wednesday noon at his residence. The cries of the children alerted neighbours who intervened in time, rescued the children and sent them to hospital.While the boy is out of danger, the girl is in critical condition.
“Both are being treated at a private hospital where Pearl is critical while Preet has been declared out of danger by the doctors,” said a police official.
Police sources said Soni, who has been arrested for attempt to murder by Ghaltlodia police is a jeweller and used to run a small jewellery shop.
“He was going through severe financial crisis. His wife Parul had to work in a beauty parlour to run the house,” an investigator said.
According to police sources on Wednesday noon when Parul had gone to a bank for some work, Soni first tried to hang his six-year-old daughter, Pearl, with a rope tied to a ceiling fan. “Unable to kill her, Soni brought her down and tried to strangle her with his hands. He then put a pillow on her face to smother her to death,” said a police official.
Police officials said Soni did the same thing to his 10-year-old son who studies in class three at a local school. “But Preet escaped and raised an alarm. Hearing his cries neighbours rushed in and saved Pearl. The neighbours then took both children to a nearby private hospital,” a police official said.
Senior officials said they rushed to the spot as soon as they got the message from the hospital and have arrested Soni for attempt to murder. “We are in the process of recording statements of the neighbours and have seized the rope and the pillow with which Soni attempted to kill his children” said a police source.