Police arrest a woman suspected of being behind the deaths of her three daughters, aged 2 to 5 years old, in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, south China on June 5, 2023. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong police on Monday arrested a 29-year-old woman on suspicion of murdering her three young daughters, aged 2 to 5 years old, in a sub-divided flat in Sham Shui Po.

Briefing media on Monday afternoon, Alan Chung Nga-lun, superintendent of the police force's Kowloon West regional crime unit, said the woman, who is of Indian origin, may have smothered the three kids with a pillow as a small amount of blood was found on a pillow in the flat and in the mouth and nose of one of the victims. 

Preliminary investigations revealed that the woman is unemployed and has been living on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance. The family has lived in the flat for 11 months.  The police believe the tragedy may have stemmed from relationship problems involving a third party

Preliminary investigations revealed that the woman is unemployed and has been living on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance. The family has lived in the flat for 11 months.  The police believe the tragedy may have stemmed from relationship problems involving a third party, Chung said.  

Chung added that police were told the woman had called her mother, who lives in the New Territories, and confessed that she had killed her three kids over the phone. The woman's mother then told her son, who is also the suspect's younger brother, to call the police.

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The three victims, two of whom were in kindergarten while the third was not yet old enough for school, were found unresponsive at their residence, a sub-divided flat in Kweilin Street of Sham Shui Po, on Monday morning after their mother called police claiming that her husband had assaulted the three kids with a knife and escaped. All three children were confirmed dead after being sent to hospital.

No injuries were found on the surfaces of the three victims’ bodies and police officers did not find sharp objects or drugs at the scene, Chung said.

Chung said police had found the suspect's husband and believe he had not been in contact with his wife and children for some time.

The woman and her husband have been separated for about a year and the crime may be related to family issues, Chung said, adding that no signs of domestic violence have been found.

Police show pieces of evidence collected from the crime scene in the killing of three girls, aged 2 to 5 years, in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, south China on June 5, 2023. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Chung said the woman was mentally stable when arrested, adding that preliminary investigations also found that the suspect has no history of mental illness or any record of psychiatric treatment.

Earlier, the Social Warfare Department confirmed the woman and her three daughters were receiving help from an Integrated Family Service Centre operated by a non-governmental organization. 

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Chung said the police will make every effort to investigate the case. He also urged the public to pay more attention to their family members and friends to prevent potential tragedies.