Panvel siblings Janhvi (12) and Parag Shah (10), who were found dead on Mumbai Nashik Highway in Kasara on Tuesday morning, were murdered by their father Nitin (40), police claimed on Thursday.

Nitin, missing since Sunday, when he stepped out telling wife Swati he was taking the kids to his father’s, was found in the same jungle from where bodies of the children were recovered.

Finding his wrists slit, police shifted him to hospital, where he is fighting for life.

Nitin was found in a second search operation in Kasara Ghat. He allegedly confessed to having strangled the children before attempting suicide, investigating officers said.

They said he decided to take the extreme step as he was allegedly frustrated by Swati’s mental instability, for which she has been receiving treatment for years. However, worried that there would be no one left to look after the children, he decided to end their lives too.

Police said Nitin was a suspect from the beginning. They suspected he killed the children in cold blood and went into hiding or killed himself as well.

Police recorded statements of several neighbours, which allegedly indicated he was more an emotional man than a cold-blooded one. “On a hunch, we sent a team back to Kasara Ghat for a detailed search. It found Nitin lying unconscious under a tree in a jungle nearby. He had cut both his wrists and suffered a lot of blood loss,” said Ravindra Sengaonkar, superintendent, Thane Rural Police.

He was first taken to Thane Civil Hospital and later to KEM Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment in ICU.

Police suspect Nitin deliberately left his ATM card in Janhvi’s pocket, so that the bodies could be identified.

“Nitin was fed up with his wife’s mental instability. He wanted to kill himself but was worried about Janhvi and Parag’s future and decided to kill them as well,” said a police officer.

Police said Nitin left home Sunday morning telling Swati he was taking the children to his father’s place and would be back by evening. The next Swati heard was the children had been found dead.

Family tragedy

Nitin Shah left home on Sunday, telling his wife Swati that he was taking the children to his father’s

He took the children to Kasara where he strangled them. He then slit his wrists, but was found near the spot where the children’s bodies were discovered