JHELUM — A local man killed his three children on Thursday, throwing them into the Upper Jhelum Canal after taking them out for a meal. Police recovered the bodies of the two daughters and one son hours after the incident sparked a massive search operation.
The suspect, identified as Arshad, reportedly took his children—aged between four and eight—to a restaurant in the city center before driving them to the canal bank. Witnesses said he stopped his motorcycle near the water’s edge, grabbed the children, and pushed them into the deep current.
“He didn’t hesitate,” a local shopkeeper who witnessed the suspect fleeing the scene told investigators. “He just pushed them and drove away as if nothing happened.”
Police apprehended Arshad later that evening in a nearby village. During preliminary questioning, he confessed to the killings, citing a long-standing domestic dispute with his wife. He claimed he wanted to “punish her” by depriving her of their children.
The victims—Ayesha, 8, Fatima, 6, and their younger brother, Ali—were identified by relatives at the district hospital mortuary. The mother, who had been living at her parents’ house following a separation, collapsed upon hearing the news.
“He didn’t just kill them; he destroyed our entire family’s future,” said the children’s maternal uncle, who arrived at the scene shortly after the recovery. “We had no idea he was capable of this level of cruelty.”
Local authorities have registered a triple-murder case against the suspect. The incident has left the community in shock, with neighbors describing the family as having had “normal interactions” just days prior.
The suspect remains in police custody, awaiting a formal remand hearing. For the grieving family, the legal process offers little solace as they prepare for the children’s funeral rites today.
