5th June 2023 – (Hong Kong) In a tragic incident, three sisters aged 2, 4, and 5 were found unconscious and later pronounced dead after a family tragedy occurred in Sham Shui Po’s Kweilin Street this morning. The girls’ Indian mother initially reported to the police that her husband had attacked her and their three daughters with a knife before fleeing the scene. Upon further investigation, the police discovered that the three young girls had no external injuries and were likely suffocated to death. The mother subsequently confessed to the crime and was arrested on suspicion of murder. She was escorted by police officers with a black cloth covering her head at around 3pm.
According to the police, the incident is believed to have arisen from a marital dispute between the mother and her estranged husband, which may have involved a third party. The police have not ruled out the possibility that the mother did not want to entrust her children to others for care, leading her to commit the crime. It was reported that the mother often heard rumours about her husband having an affair with someone else.
The suspect had reportedly heard from several friends in the past that she suspected her husband was having an affair. Superintendent of Police Crime Kowloon West Regional Headquarters Operations, Alan Chung Nga-lun, said that the police believe that the suspect’s motive for the crime was related to her marital problems with her estranged husband, which may have involved a third party. The police have not ruled out the possibility that the suspect did not want to entrust her children to others for care. Neighbours did not hear any noise from the unit before the incident. The police believe that the three girls had already been dead for about one to two hours before they were sent to the hospital this morning, indicating that the crime occurred earlier on the same day.
The police’s preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect and her husband had been separated for about a year, and she was currently unemployed, living with her three daughters in the subdivided flat where the incident occurred for about 11 months, relying on comprehensive social security assistance. Two of the deceased girls were attending kindergarten, and the other had not yet started school. There is no evidence to suggest that the relationship between the mother and her daughters was not good, and there is no evidence that the suspect had any recent arguments with her estranged husband.
The Social Welfare Department confirmed that the suspect and her three deceased daughters were cases followed up by non-governmental organisation integrated family service centres. Alan Chung Nga-lun said that the police had learned from the Social Welfare Department that the family had been followed up by social workers before, but the case had been closed at the end of last year. The police investigation revealed that the suspect had no record of mental illness, nor any record of her receiving or undergoing psychiatric treatment in the past or present. There are also no records indicating that the family had any history of domestic violence.
Alan Chung Nga-lun said that this is a very serious case of domestic violence, resulting in the deaths of three young, innocent girls. The police attach great importance to crimes related to domestic violence, particularly those involving loss of life or serious injury. The police will spare no effort in investigating and finding out the truth, and hopes to help the victims. He also called on the public to pay more attention to their friends and family members and to exercise the spirit of neighbourhood assistance and vigilance. Professional personnel should intervene early to prevent such tragedies from happening again.