ARAVALLI: A man allegedly killed his three minor children and also tried to kill his wife before attempting suicide following a domestic dispute in Gujarat's Aravalli district, police said on Sunday.
The woman was in a criticial condition following the incident that took place on Friday night in Ramad village under Meghraj taluka, they said.
The accused, Jivabhai Dedun, was taken into custody by police on Sunday after he tried to end his life, an official from Isari police station said.
The accused apparently suspected that his wife was having an illicit affair, he said.
On Friday night, the man allegedly attacked his wife with an axe, injuring her severely, the official said.
He then allegedly took his two daughters, aged two-and-a-half and eight years, and nine-year-old son along with him and threw them in a dam located near the village, he said, adding that the three bodies were fished out on Saturday evening.
On Sunday morning, the accused tried to end his life by hanging himself from a tree near the dam, but some villagers spotted him.
They foiled his suicide attempt and called an ambulance, the official said.
"The accused has been taken into custody and hospitalised," the official said.
His wife was also undergoing treatment in a hospital and her condition was critical, he said.
A case has been registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), he added.