Siblings killing case: three suspects detained by police

Another official said the suspects were friends of the elder brother of the victim children, and before leaving for Madhya Pradesh with his parents, he had asked them to look after them. The horrific incident which took place at Borkheda Shivar village in Raver tehsil came to light on Friday morning.

The police have detained three suspects in connection with the killing of four minor siblings in north Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, an official said on Saturday. The suspects were known to the victims' family, he said.

"Besides these three suspects, we are questioning a few more people," said the senior police officer who is part of the investigating team. Another official said the suspects were friends of the elder brother of the victim children, and before leaving for Madhya Pradesh with his parents, he had asked them to look after them.

The horrific incident which took place at Borkheda Shivar village in Raver tehsil came to light on Friday morning. The children's parents, who worked on a farm, had gone to Madhya Pradesh with their elder son for 'dash-kriya' (tenth-day post-death ritual) for a dead relative.

When the farm owner visited the house, he saw the four siblings, Sangita (13), Rahul (11), Anil (eight) and Nani (six), lying in a pool of blood. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who visited the family on Saturday, said the case would be tried in a fast track court.

The killings were "a blot on humanity", he said. Renowned lawyer Ujjwal Nikam would be appointed as special prosecutor in the case, and state government will provide adequate financial assistance to the family, he said.

Notably, senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse and Raver BJP MP Raksha Khadse were among those who accompanied the minister during the visit..