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HYDERABAD: After a tiff with his wife over her alleged affair, a 30-year-old employee of a private firm gave poison-laced juice to his two children and later consumed it himself on Friday night. His five-year-old son succumbed while undergoing treatment in the early hours of Saturday.

B Suresh, a resident of Rajabollaram Thanda in Medchal district, had been suspecting that his wife Manjula, also a private employee, was having an affair with her colleague, police said.

Around 7.30pm on Friday, Suresh went home drunk and picked up a fight with Manjula. “Fed up with his behaviour, Manjula went to her parent’s house, next to their rented accommodation, as the children were asleep,” Medchal inspector Gangadhar said.

Suresh had a few more pegs before giving his two children poison-laced juice. “Suresh mixed pesticide with juice, woke up his sons — aged 5 and 6 — and gave them the juice. He then took them to his in-law’s house, returned home and consumed the pesticide at around 11pm,” the officer said.

Suspecting his sudden visit, Manjula went back home with the children. When Suresh revealed that he had given them poison and consumed it himself, his wife and others rushed them to a nearby private hospital. “The younger son succumbed at 1.16am while undergoing treatment. The elder son is battling for life at Niloufer Hospital,” a police official said.

Suresh is said to be out of danger and was shifted to Gandhi Hospital. “He had been suspecting that his wife was having an affair with a colleague. The couple had fights almost daily,” the Medchal inspector added.

After the incident, Manjula lodged a complaint with the Medchal police against Suresh. The police booked Suresh of murder and attempt to murder. Officials, however, were yet to make an arrest.

