HYDERABAD: Lake Police rescued a 25-year-old housewife who tried to commit suicide by jumping into Hussainsagar along with her two children on Monday night. Sadly, by the time police got information about the children they had drowned.

The woman was identified as Sweta Agarwal, wife of Vijay Agarwal, a software engineer from Chilkalguda. Sweta had married Vijay in 2006 and the couple has two children, Khushi Agarwal, 5, and Tanush Agarwal, 3.

According to the police, Sweta was being harassed by her husband and in-laws over petty issues like cooking and cleaning. Unable to face the daily harassment, Sweta along with her two children walked out of her home on Monday afternoon without informing anyone.

As Sweta and their two children remained untraceable till late in the evening, Vijay lodged a complaint with police and a missing case was registered at the Chilkalguda police station on Monday night.

At about 11.30pm on Monday, Lake Police Station constable Venkatesh and Shankar, a home guard, noticed a woman screaming for help near Sanjeevaiah Park . The two jumped into the water and pulled out Sweta, who was struggling to keep her head above the water.

Sweta did not inform the police personnel that her two children had already drowned. After collecting basic information about her, police handed her over to the family.

When grilled by the family members about the whereabouts of the children, Sweta told them that the children had followed her into the water and they had drowned. Shocked family members informed police and on Tuesday, bodies of Khushi and Tanush were fished out from the lake by expert swimmers.

“After leaving the house, Sweta went to Necklace Road and waited near the road-side of Sanjeevaiah Park with her children. Later in the night, she tried to commit suicide. According to her, she asked her children to remain on the bank, but after she entered the water, they too followed her and drowned before she could reach them,” Chilkalguda inspector B Anjaiah said.

Based on a complaint lodged by Sweta, police have registered a case under section 498-A (subjecting a married woman to cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Vijay and his family members. Sweta was booked under section 309 (attempt to commit suicide).