KARACHI: In a heartwrenching incident, a jobless man fed up with unemployment, rising inflation and poverty poisoned his wife and two little daughters by lacing their drinking water with some deadly substance and attempted suicide in their rented home in Surjani Townearly on Friday morning, police said.

They said an infant girl, Ume Ayman, died while the Azhar Khan, 40, his wife Fatima, 35, and daughter Ume Hania, four, fell unconscious and were taken to hospital in critical condition.

The officials said the unemployed man, living in a small rented house in Sector-11, was deeply disturbed by skyrocketing inflation and had decided to solve his and his family`s difficulties by ending their lives.

The police said they weretaken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment According to West-SSP Faisal Bashir Memon, the head of the family, Azhar, was fed up with poverty and unemployment.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that the relatives took away the body of the infant girl without allowing doctors to fulfil medico-legal formalities. Attendants/relatives told the doctors that the family had consumed `copper sulphate`, she said.

The police surgeon said that the victims were taken to theAga Khan University Hospital by the welfare organisation JDC for further treatment due to their serious condition.

Speaking to journalists, Azhar`s sister-in-law said that he had been jobless for quite some time. They were living in apoorlocalityin arentedhouse and had no money to even buy some food, she added.

Quoting relatives, she said Azhar came home at 3am on Friday and gave the poisonous substance to his family by lacing the drinking water and then attempted suicide.She said the condition of her niece was `critical`.

Crying aloud, the griefstricken woman called for `removing this government and rulers`, saying that the incidents of suicides were growing in society and people were coming on roads to beg for bread because of unbearable inflation and price hike. `Oh, for heaven`s sake, remove these people, and these rulers,` the woman cried.

She added that Azhar went everywhere for job, but could not find one.-By Imtiaz Ali