LAHORE, June 21: A shopkeeper shot dead his wife, her alleged lover, and three children in Usman Nagar, Ghaziabad, on Friday.

Terming the incident honour-killing, 28-year-old accused Sajjad Hussain told reporters with a smile on his face he had no regrets.

For his children, he said, he killed them knowing well that nobody would take care of them after him. He said he had to kill his children to rid them of the miseries they were going to face after him.

Superintendent of Police, Crimes, Syed Aftab Ejaz told reporters the accused had suspected his wife of loose morals and divorced her once some two years ago.

She remained with her parents for some months and, later, joined her husband when some religious people allowed her to do so, he said.

The SP said the accused had brought his cousin Ghulam Rasool alias Kala to Lahore from a village in Okara to work at his shop as Kala was jobless some three months ago.

Sajjad said he had left his house on Friday at around 7am for his shop, asking Kala to follow him and asking his wife to prepare sweets and other things to sell at the shop.

“I returned after about half-an-hour and found my wife and my cousin in a compromising situation,” he claimed and said he again returned to his shop and remained there thinking what to do for three hours.

Sajjad said he again visited his house at 10:30am and found his wife and cousin sitting side by side at a cot.

He added he picked up his licensed rifle and opened fire. It resulted in injuries to his wife, Lubna, 26, and his cousin.

“I again loaded the rifle and shot at my four children — Nawaz (3), Mehvish (4), Iqra (5) and one-year-old Sumbul,” he said, and raised alarm saying somebody had attacked his house.

Neighbours rushed to the house and took the injured to a nearby hospital. Kala, Lubna, Nawaz and Sumbul were pronounced dead at the hospital while Mehvish died during the first-aid dressing.

Iqra was stated to be in a critical condition till the filing of this report.

The neighbours told police that Sajjad had tried to escape from the house but a nearby shopkeeper, Amjad, locked his house from outside.

Initially, the accused had told the police that some people had attacked his house and committed the crime but later he confessed to committing the crime.