Police personnel conduct an investigation after four children were allegedly bludgeoned to death inside their house in Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (PTI)
In a dramatic twist to the deaths of four children and their mother in Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar, police Monday shot dead their 19-year-old neighbour in an ‘encounter alleging he was behind their murders. Police initially suspected the mother, 35-year-old Ghasia Khatoon, had killed her children; her body was found in a drain on Sunday afternoon.
Police said during their investigation, they uncovered the involvement of Khatoon’s neighbour, Aamir, who was a frequent visitor to their house. Police added that Aamir had a criminal record with cases registered against him for murder, rape, and offences under the Cow Slaughter Act. He had reportedly been released from jail around five months ago.
How it happened
On Saturday, police found the bodies of Khatoon’s four minor children — aged 14, 12, 10, and 8 — on a bed inside their locked home. They were suspected to have been drugged before being bludgeoned to death.
Initially, police suspected that Khatoon was behind the killings. They earlier said she was in distress after she found out on a trip to Saudi Arabia, where her husband was working, that he had married a Pakistani woman. But on Sunday evening, police found her body in a drain near her house.
Sources said police began suspecting the involvement of another person after Khatoon’s post-mortem report indicated that her death was caused by ante-mortem injuries — she had suffered a head injury, suspected to have been inflicted by a blunt object.
In the early hours of May 4, police said they received information that the suspect likely involved in the killings was in Sudari Afzalpur village and teams were dispatched to the spot.
When officers attempted to apprehend him, police claimed the suspect allegedly opened fire. Police fired back in self-defence, injuring the suspect. Two policemen — a sub-inspector and a constable — also sustained injuries.
The three were immediately rushed to a hospital, where the suspect, Aamir, was declared dead on arrival.
Police claimed when they searched the body, they found yellow earrings and silver anklets belonging to Khatoon in his pocket
Superintendent of Police, Ambedkar Nagar, Prachi Singh said Aamir’s name cropped up during investigation. She said the ornaments recovered belonged to the deceased woman.
Ambedkar Nagar Circle Officer Nitish Kumar Tiwari said it emerged that Aamir killed the children and dragged Khatoon out of the house, which is situated in a secluded area, and killed her. He later threw her body in a drain. He added that the investigation of the case is ongoing.
