The father and stepmother of two sisters were arrested on over suspicion of poisoning to death the two girls in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor, police said on Thursday. The incident took place under Heempur Deepa police station area of Bijnor on Wednesday.
Afia Praveen (10) and Hadia Praveen (8) had gone to visit their father's home on Wednesday evening, where they fell ill, news agency PTI quoted police as saying.
The girls complained of stomach ache and died on the way to the hospital, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Kumar said, adding that their bodies have been sent for post-mortem.
According to police, the father had divorced the mother two years ago and the minors were currently living with their grand parents.
Family members have alleged that the minor girls were given poison which resulted in their death, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Kumar said.
"We have detained the father Farman and the step mother Nazreen, who are being interrogated," he said.
The incident has reportedly caused an uproar in the village, prompting a heavy police presence, including the arrival of the Superintendent of Police (SP), an aajtak.in report said.
Farman had two daughters from his first wife, Dilshana, whom Nazreen allegedly disliked, the report said. As a result, the children lived with their grandfather instead of with their father and stepmother. However, on August 14, the two girls visited Nazreen to play, during which she and Farman allegedly poisoned them, resulting in their deaths.
