An Indian Father Strangles His Three Daughters Then Dumps Their Bodies inside Canal Bbecause He Feared He Could Never Afford to Pay for Their Weddings

A father allegedly strangled his three young daughters and threw their bodies in a canal because he feared he could never afford to pay for their weddings. Sanjay Dubey, 33, was arrested at the scene in India where he admitted killing his children because he was penniless. He told his wife he was taking his girls to a local fair while she stayed at home to cook dinner.

Instead the sari trader from Pandesera, in Gujarat, western India, led his daughters Ankita, nine, Priya, seven, and two-year-old Bhavna, to a canal where he strangled each one late last Friday.

Inspector Mahendra Kher said: 'We received a call on Saturday morning from a villager who had found three bodies floating face down in a canal.

'When we reached the spot we found Sanjay already present and he quickly confessed to killing his daughters.'

Sanjay had apparently been fighting depression after losing Rs 3 Lakh (£3,000) in a business deal a few months ago. He brazenly told police that he had no other choice, but to kill is daughters because he was worried about the costs of raising them.

His wife Meera Devi, 32 said: 'My girls were very excited that night. Sanjay had told them he was going to buy them some new clothes at the market and they were very excited.

'They all left on the family motorbike at 6pm and I carried on preparing dinner.

'But when they didn't return after 10pm, I started making frantic calls to Sanjay but his phone was switched off.

'I was crying hysterically all night. I didn't sleep for one second. I thought they had been in an awful accident or something.'

The next morning her husband's brother told Meera that her daughters had been killed by their father. But Meera, who had delivered two stillborn sons before the birth of her daughters, claims Sanjay never pressured her for a son.

'I do not know why he killed the girls. I have no idea, it's so out of character,' she said.

'He loved them very much. Our daughters were our world. He had always been a very loving father.'

Many families in India see daughters as an economic burden because they have to worry about wedding costs and a huge dowry. Many even resent spending on girls' school fees because they believe there is no point as women will only stay at home.

While many parents kill their unborn female babies, some resort to killing their daughters much later in life.

With a population of 1.27billion, India has only 943 females for 1000 males, which has long been a concern for Indian governments.

To generate awareness to save future daughters and empower women, the new government has launched its ambitious Beti Bachao, Beti Padao (Save Girl Child, Educate Girl Child) scheme. (Dailymail)