Kamareddy man drowns his three minor daughters in pond, held; confesses to financial distress

Kamareddy: In a heart-wrenching incident, an autorickshaw driver allegedly killed his three minor daughters by throwing them into a lake in Kamareddy town, reportedly due to mounting financial distress.

The accused, who initially approached the police to file a missing complaint, was arrested after interrogation revealed his role in the crime.

Bodies recovered from lake

The deceased children were identified as Shifat (8), Ayat (7) and Mariyam (5). While the bodies of Ayat and Mariyam were recovered from Peddacheruvu Lake on Saturday night, Shifat’s body was pulled out on Sunday morning after an intensive search operation.

Swimmers were pressed into service to retrieve the bodies from the lake.

Accused tried to mislead police

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Chaitanya Reddy said that the children’s parents approached the police station at around 3.30 p.m. on Saturday, claiming the girls had been missing since 10 a.m.

Police immediately formed five special teams to trace the children in and around the town. Photographs of the girls were also circulated on social media to aid the search.

During questioning, the father, Ismail, told police that he had taken his daughters in his autorickshaw to a hotel for breakfast and later dropped them off.

However, his inconsistent statements about where he had left the children aroused suspicion.

CCTV, call records exposed truth

Investigators examined CCTV footage and analysed the accused’s phone call records, which further strengthened their doubts. Under sustained interrogation, Ismail confessed to throwing his daughters into Peddacheruvu Lake.

He subsequently led police to the lake, where a scarf belonging to one of the girls was found near the water body, confirming his statement.

Financial burden cited as motive

During interrogation, Ismail reportedly told police that he was struggling to support his family and had accumulated debts exceeding ₹5 lakh. His wife, Shabeena, works as a daily wage labourer and was away at work at the time of the incident.

Police said the accused claimed he was unable to bear the financial pressure of raising the three children.

Remanded to Judicial Custody

Ismail was arrested and produced before a court, which remanded him to judicial custody on Sunday. Police officials said they would seek his custody for further interrogation to gather more details about the sequence of events.

The incident has sent shockwaves across the region, raising concerns about the impact of financial distress on vulnerable families.