Belief in black magic is still strong in rural parts of Pakistan (Picture: AFP)

A father-of-six is on the run after allegedly strangling five of his children to death in the hope the sacrifice would grant him magical powers, including alchemy.

Ali Nawaz Leghari, 40, is said to have killed the two girls and three boys, who are aged between three and 13, overnight on Thursday in the small Pakistani village of Saeed Khan.

And police say that Leghari, who had serious money problems, was undertaking a spiritual journey known as ‘Chilla’ in the hope that he could learn various forms of black magic like alchemy.

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‘The man’s financial condition was bad but he was also learning black magic and it seems that he made the sacrifice to excel in the craft,’ Qamaruddin Rahimo told AFP.

Mr Rahimo said that Leghari had initially attempted to poison the family’s dinner but had been stopped by his wife. But while the wife and eldest son were out of the house, Leghari allegedly sedated the remaining five children and then used a rope that was found at the scene to strangle them.

Belief in black magic is particularly strong in rural parts of Pakistan including the impoverished southern Sindh province where the killings took place, the Digital Journal reports.