Father in Gujarat ‘throws’ his 5 kids off bridge: cops say poverty one cause

Local resident Shantaben, who was standing outside her hut under the bridge, claims to be the only witness to the killings. She said he shoved two girls from the eastern side of the bridge, three from the other end around 4 pm. ‘‘I ran to try to catch him but he escaped. I then informed the police,’’ said Shantaben.

Earlier in the day, Shaikh had taken Shagufta, Ruksana, Yasmin, Samarin, and Suhana to a nearby dargah for prayers. His wife Roshanbano was at home with their 10-month-old son. The traumatised mother hasn’t spoken since the news of the tragedy reached her.

Shaikh’s relatives said he moved from Surat to Varedia, his father-in-law’s village, about three years ago and had been working as an autorickshaw driver. Over the past two years, he had run up debts; his credit with shopkeepers ran up to Rs 8,000.

Jambusar Sub-inspector N S Chaudhary said Shaikh was hounded by creditors from Surat as well. ‘‘We found in a preliminary inquiry that Saleem owed Rs 10,000 to several people in Surat. He was associated with a gambling ring in Bharuch.’’ Bharuch SP Amarsinh Vasava, however, said it was too early to draw conclusions. Only Shaikh’s arrest could bring things to light.

‘‘Financial crisis may be one reason but we are investigating other angles too,’’ he said.

Shaikh’s family members and friends, however, do not mention gambling. ‘‘He plied the autorickshaw between Varedia and Palej, earning about Rs 70-80 daily,’’ said Shaikh’s father-in-law Vali Umarji. ‘‘But that was not enough as he had a big family and lived in a rented house.’’ Umarji said some Muslim philanthropists had helped Shaikh out with money during Ramzan, but apparently, that hadn’t been enough.

‘‘We knew he was under severe tension owing to financial crises but never thought he would do such a thing,’’ said Ghulam Rasool Shaikh, a neighbour. District Collector Rajiv Topnoe said Shaikh had never approached the administration for financial help.

‘‘Since he had an APL-1 (Above Poverty Line) ration card, he was not entitled to any assistance,’’ he said.