Inseparable, all three were last seen buying packets of chips

UNNAO: Bringing green fodder from their field was part of the routine for the three girls, two of whom were found dead in their agriculture field in Unnao, while one other is in critical condition, said Baby, wife of shop owner Sabir, from where the trio had bought two packets of chips on Wednesday.

“They were extremely close to each other and on Wednesday they looked happy as they walked to the field, some 1.5 km away their house, just above a dry canal pass. They talked to each other animatedly and giggled a lot,” remembers Baby.

“Two had come to make the purchase the other remained outside. They ate the chips together and walked on talking to each other. It was around 3.30 pm,” she said.

That was the last time anyone saw them together.

Six hours later, the families began panicking as the girls did not return. Brother of a girl was the first to find them right at the start of the field, which is about one bigha in size.

He came back and informed his father about them. They went together and called a vehicle. The girls, who have a big family, were rushed to a private hospital.

Instead of family members, some villagers informed the police that the girls were found with their necks tied to a dupatta in an unconscious state.

“We were all shocked with what happened, but we were sure the girls were murdered, it is common in this area,” said mother of one girl. “When I reached, they were on each other motionless,” she said, adding that she did not see any dupatta tied around their necks.

The girls, according to the family members and the villagers, were inseparable despite living in different houses. The family did not enroll them in the school though they wanted to study. One of them wanted to appear in the board exams this year, said the mother.

“The family’s financial condition was not such to afford, nor could they allow them to travel far to school,” she said.