Surat: Three children were found dead in Manekpur village of Umargam taluka in Valsad district, while their mother was found unconscious after allegedly consuming phenyl, police said.The deceased were identified as nine-month-old twin boys and their two-year-old sister. Their mother, Nisha Halpati (22), was admitted to hospital in an unconscious condition.According to police, a complaint was lodged by the woman’s husband Sanjay at Sarigam police station alleging that she had killed the three children before attempting suicide. However, police said the exact cause of death of the children is yet to be ascertained and will be confirmed after the post-mortem examination.Sanjay, who works in fishing and had been away for work for the past few months, returned home on May 10. In his complaint, he alleged that after returning he checked his wife’s mobile phone and found chats with another man.Police said this led to frequent disputes between the couple over the alleged relationship. On Tuesday, another argument broke out after Sanjay allegedly found similar chats. He later went to inform Nisha’s parents about the matter. Her mother subsequently visited the house and counselled the couple to live peacefully, police said.The FIR states that Nisha broke her mobile phone following the dispute.On Wednesday morning, Sanjay said he found the children unconscious after waking up. He informed his parents, who live in a nearby house. When he returned, he found Nisha unconscious after allegedly consuming phenyl. The family then alerted the 108 emergency service. Nisha was shifted to hospital, while the three children were declared dead.Police have sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. Investigators said the exact cause of death will be known only after forensic and post-mortem reports.“It is not yet clear how the children died—whether due to poisoning, strangulation or smothering. The post-mortem report will establish the cause, and further investigation is underway,” a police official said.
