The house of CISF jawan Ragho Singh at Kolhar village in Fatuha, where his two daughters were murdered and one injured on Thursday. Picture by Sachin

Three sisters, all between 12 and 18 years, were shot at at their home in Kolhar village in Fatuha, 30km from Patna, early on Thursday.

While two of the girls died on the spot, the youngest one is admitted at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) with critical injuries.

Police are suspecting the role of the stepmother of the three girls in the attack. The woman, whose name the police have not been able to figure out yet, went missing soon after the attack on the three sisters. This disappearance has bolstered the police’s suspicion that the woman may be involved in the crime committed in the absence of the father of the three girls.

According to the villagers, around 1am on Thursday, gunshots were heard from the residence of Ragho Singh, a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan. The villagers found the door of the house ajar and the three daughters of Ragho Singh lying in a pool of blood.

Two of the victims, 18-year-old Gudiya and 14-year-old Soni, had been shot in the head and chest. They died before the villagers could reach them for help.

Poonam, aged 12, had been shot in the stomach and was bleeding profusely. The Fatuha police station was informed immediately and a police team rushed Poonam to PMCH, where she was stated to be in a critical condition.

The police said initial investigations suggest the woman whom Singh had married four months ago, allegedly planned the killing of the three girls as she didn’t want her husband’s property to be distributed among the daughters once they were married off.

“The villagers are not co-operating with the police and are not giving any statement. The police don’t know where Singh is posted at present and also don’t have an idea about the name and the whereabouts of his wife, who is currently absconding. There are no signs of forced entry into Singh’s house. It seems the mother had hired some criminals who got into the house, went up to the terrace where the three girls were sleeping and then shot them in cold blood. The attackers fled before the villagers could reach the house,” deputy superintendent of police, Fatuha, Sunita Kumari told The Telegraph.

Neighbours said the girls’ mother passed away 10 months ago.

“Singh owns a lot of property. It is strange that he married again at a time when one of his daughters was of marriageable age and the other two were nearing the same. Ever since the woman came, there was a lot of unrest at home. The man was earlier posted at Bokaro and had again gone somewhere just two days ago. Last night, when we assembled in front of the house, Singh’s wife was present there. She was absolutely quiet. The crowd swelled and she suddenly disappeared after that,” Kamlesh Kumar, a villager told The Telegraph.

The police said nothing had been stolen from the house. “The motive was not robbery for sure. At this moment, we are trying to trace some relatives of the family who can give us some information about the missing woman. The role of the father is also being looked into. Both the bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Police are waiting for the third girl to recover and give her statement,” a police officer said.