A software engineer has allegedly killed his wife and three children in Ghaziabad, police said on Monday.

On the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, Sumit Kumar served sedative-laced drinks to his wife Anshu Bala (32), son Prathimesh (5), daughter Akriti and son Arav (twins aged 4) and slit their throats, said City SP Shlok Kumar.

The bodies were found 22 hours after the incident on Sunday, following a message from Kumar in his family WhatsApp group admitting to the killings, said the SP.

Kumar, a native of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, married Anshu Bala in 2011. He became depressed after losing his job in December and was in debt, he said.

Bala was teaching in a nearby school and giving tuition and her father was helping him meet family expenses.

On Sunday, Kumar posted the video narrating how he killed his wife and kids, said the SP. He further said he would commit suicide for which he had purchased poison.

The police have launched a hunt for Kumar. His phone is not reachable, they said.

The police and the drugs department sealed the medical store and arrested its owner for allegedly selling potassium cyanide to Kumar.

The medical store’s licence expired two years ago, the SP said.