Woman poisons two kids, self

LUCKNOW: In a shocking incident that came to light on Sunday, a 35-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide after killing her two minor children in Alambagh locality.
According to the police, the woman mixed poison in the kichdi she had cooked for dinner and served it to the children first and thereafter consumed it herself on Saturday night.
The woman, Premlata, took the extreme step as she was under tremendous stress due to tension between her and husband Suryabhan Singh, a constable in the third battalion of the Railway Protection Special Force.
Singh was an alcoholic and used to spend all his earnings on liquor. Fed up with the economic crisis and regular bashing by the husband, Premlata committed suicide after killing their 10-year-old daughter Sibbu and five-year-old son Annu, the police said.
Singh had shifted to railway accommodation in Alambagh, Lucknow, with his family in October and is currently posted in Assam. He came to Lucknow on December 16 without informing the authorities.
The police said that on Saturday night Singh came home late and as usual in an inebriated state and fell fast asleep.
In the morning he called Premlata for tea. But when nobody responded, he checked and found the bodies of his wife and children. However, instead of informing the police, Singh went to his brother Ratibhan Singh in Gomtinagar. The latter lodged a complaint with the police.
The suicide theory came under cloud as the police could not answer the questions as to who opened the door for Singh in the night when his wife and children had already consumed poison and were apparently dead by then.
Singh also did not touch the food as the police found three empty plates with leftovers and a duly served plate with kichdi in the house, which was apparently for Singh.
Neighbours also claimed that they had heard voices from the place after midnight. But since it was a routine practice for Singh to come late and beat his wife, they did not pay any attention, they added.
The police said that Singh had been detained for investigations. He cannot be arrested till a case is registered against him. But in case parents of Premlata insist on registering a case against him, the police will have to arrest him.