Unnao, Nov 26 (IANS): A question mark hangs over the death of four children, aged 4 to 9, who had tragically lost their lives to electrocution last week.

A video has now emerged in which Virendra Kumar, the father of the four children, is seen confessing to their murder.

The video came after Kumar’s recent release from the hospital, following a suicide attempt.

His wife, Sheila Devi, has officially lodged a complaint, pointing to her husband’s extramarital affair as a possible motive for the gruesome act that occurred on November 19 in Barasarvar police area, Unnao district.

The police, however, face a conundrum as Kumar’s claims diverge from the initial postmortem findings, which ruled out poisoning or strangulation and confirmed electrocution as the cause of death.

In the video, Kumar purportedly admits to using sulphas, a pesticide, and strangulation to end his children’s lives. He further claims to have strategically placed a pedestal fan on their bodies to mislead investigators into believing the deaths were accidental electrocutions.

Siddharth Meena, SP Unnao, said that Kumar is now under close scrutiny following the video’s emergence. Meena said that the post mortem results unequivocally identified electrocution as the cause of death, with no signs of poisoning detected.

In response to Sheila Devi’s complaint and Kumar’s confession, the viscera have been sent for forensic examination.

Pending the forensic report, medical experts and law enforcement will keep a close eye on Kumar. Meena said that the investigation remains ongoing, with the police eagerly awaiting the results of the forensic examination.

The four children -- Mayank ,9, Himanshi ,8, Himank ,6, and Mansi ,4, -- met their tragic fate while playing near a pedestal fan powered by electric current on November 19.

The parents were away harvesting the paddy crop in a field adjacent to the village at the time.