LAHORE: A man allegedly slit the throats of his three minor nephews and injured their mother in Shah dara on Friday.

The suspect, Faryad, killed the children of his elder brother with a dagger in the courtyard of their Fazal Park house, according to a police official.

The children were identified as Azeem, 6, Waseem, 3, and Shakeel, 2.

The official said Faryad also injured Salma, mother of the children, when she tried to rescue them. She later passed out, he said, adding that the `act of extreme cruelty sparked fear and anger in the vicinity`.

The police official said Faryadandhiselderbrother, Amir, lived together, apparently without any issue, in a joint family house. Recently, Faryad was found engaged in abnormal activities while his wife turned to black magic. The official said that during the preliminary interrogation, the suspect seemed mentally disturbed.

The police would reach a conclusion after questioning other family members and neigbhours, he said.

The police seized the knife used in the crime and shifted bodies of the slain children to the city morgue for an autopsy. A case was lodged against Faryad on the complaint of Amir.