KARACHI, Oct 24: A jobless man resorted to immolate his four children before committing suicide the same way early on Friday apparently in a fit of frustration over his failure to meet domestic needs of the family.

Jamaluddin, 45, was father of five and lived in a small portion of an 80-square-yard house located in a shanty town of Zaman Town, sector 48-C, Korangi No.2 1/2. His eldest daughter was already married and did not live with him. The other children were Nazish, 13, Lareb, 12, Naushad, 10, and Fiza, 9.

A mason by profession, Jamaluddin was jobless for the past many months. He had to borrow money from his friends and acquaintances to somehow arrange a square meal for the family. However, for some time, they had also been refusing to oblige him anymore. He was seen buying essential commodities from shops in the neighbourhood on credit but the shopkeepers also discontinued the favour owing to his inability to make any payment. His joblessness and the money lenders’ negative attitude led the family to starve. The entire family depended on Naushad who had started working on daily wages at a butcher shop to earn Rs50 a day.

This situation might have finally forced Jamaluddin to take such an extreme action, police, neighbours and Edhi sources believed.

Giving details, Town Police Officer Javed Baloch said that police found four bottles of kerosene in a small room of his house. “We also found a match box and as we entered the house, we faced breathing problem due to the strong smell of kerosene,” he added.

Police also believed that Jamaluddin might have used poison to kill his children before setting them on fire and killing himself. The neighbours said that they did not hear any shrieks coming out of the house.

The bodies were shifted to Edhi Centre, Moosa Lane. “We have found a wrist watch, worn by Jamaluddin. Though badly damaged, it showed the time as 3:45 hours which suggested that this all had happened in the early hours,” an official at the Edhi Foundation said.

He said Islamuddin, Jamaluddin’s brother living next door, received the bodies from the Edhi Centre. The bodies were later buried at Chakra Goth graveyard in Korangi.

It has been gathered that Jamaluddin’s first wife died some eight years back and he got married again about a year ago.

According to police sources, the new couple was at odds over bringing up Jamaluddin’s children from the first wife. His wife had nowadays been living with her parents due to the dispute.

Police suspected that Jamaluddin had resorted to use sedatives/drugs after developing some psychiatric problems.

Since July this year, some 32 people have committed suicide and the motive in most of the cases appeared to be joblessness.

ACCIDENTS: A Pakistan Navy sailor died in a road accident in Mehmoodabad.