Father who threw five kids into canal says spat with wife, relatives' taunts were 'the last straw'

CHUNIAN: Police said Monday a man who had pushed his five children into a canal in the Kasur district did so following taunts from relatives, as well as a spat with his wife.

The poverty-stricken father, in his confessional statement, said the taunts and the fight with his spouse were the last straw that drove him to commit the crime.

A rickshaw-driver by profession, the man said his children did not make any noise as he pushed them into the Jamber canal in Pattoki during a boat ride — a pretext for his kids to accompany him before their untimely death.

"Had they made any noises [in protest], I would have probably felt pity or felt sorry for them," the aggrieved father said. "I miss my children already; it was cruelty at my hands."

The man told the police that he became angry after the couple exchanged heated words. "Taunts from my relatives made me do this," he added.

The bodies of the two children — a one-year-old and a four-year-old — were recovered from the BS Link Canal near Chakoki, the district emergency officer had confirmed.

Search for remaining three underway

However, as of reporting time, the search for the remaining three — a three-year-old, a five-year-old, and a seven-year-old — was still underway for the third day.

"The search operation will continue until the remaining three children are found," the district emergency officer said.

Two boats and 20 rescue personnel, including professional divers, are part of the search team.

On Sunday, police had said the man, already fed up of poverty, was driven over the edge after an argument with his wife. He reportedly brought his children to the canal under the pretext of a picnic before shoving them into the water.

A team headed by the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) for Chunian was formed to investigate the incident, the divisional police officer (DPO) had said at the time.