New Delhi: A preliminary magisterial probe report on Friday sought “deeper investigation” into the conduct of the father of three girls, who allegedly died due to starvation in east Delhi, and said he had given them some “unknown medicine”.
He has been untraceable since Tuesday when the sisters were found dead. The father of the three girls would usually go away for three-four days in search of jobs and then return, the police said on Friday.
It also said that the girls were suffering from loose motion and vomiting which may have been due to some kind of stomach infection, but they were not provided adequate oral rehydration solution (ORS) and proper medication that might have caused dehydration.
It said that the father, Mangal Singh, gave some “unknown medicine” to his daughters by “mixing it in hot water” during the night of July 23 and he has not returned since the morning of July 24.
The conduct of the man “raises an element of doubt in the matter and requires further investigation”, it said.
The girls’ father, a casual labourer, had left on the morning of July 24 to find work and has not returned since. The police is on the lookout for him and he will be questioned in connection with the matter.
The family of the deceased girls belongs to West Bengal. They were staying here in Mandawali at the residence of their family friend Narayan. The father had lost employment after the auto-rickshaw, which he used to drive on rent, had been stolen.
The police has learnt that no cases of auto theft have been reported in any of the police stations so far. It also said that if someone had stolen the auto-rickshaw, a complaint should have been registered.
The police said the father of the girls was an alcoholic. He sometimes left his auto at random spots in an inebriated state and would find it later after gaining consciousness. The police is trying to trace someone who could lead it to Mangal’s village in West Bengal.
According to the police, only after the father comes back will it be able to know for how many days the girls had not eaten and since when they were unwell.
The initial post-mortem report suggested that the girls died owing to starvation. They had not eaten for over a week.
