Four-and-a-half-year-old Dolly (Rachita), her sister Babita (3) and 13-month-old Gudu (Santosh) were killed on the spot.

The police said Savitha (31), the children’s mother, had locked the house before going out for work.

Rescue attempt

Around 12:50 pm, neighbours noticed thick smoke emanating from the small asbestos-roofed house and rushed for help.

As the door was locked, the rescuers broke the rooftop and got in, only to see the badly-burnt bodies of the kids.

Although forensic experts ruled out short-circuit, they suspect the fire was caused when a matchstick was lit. “The kids might have been playing with matchsticks, and their clothes may have caught fire accidentally. They might have died of asphyxiation and later got burnt,” the experts said.

Arrival in city

Chotima, the house owner, told Deccan Herald that last year around the same time, Savitha had landed with the three children at her doorstep and pleaded for help.

Savitha took the house on rent. Since she had no help from any quarters, she would lock the children inside the house before leaving for work.

Sources said Savitha, from Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, who  came to Bangalore more than a decade ago, fell in love with  Ravi Shankar alias Babu from West Bengal before marrying him. But, after the birth of the children, Ravi deserted her. Since then, she has been fending for herself doing menial jobs at St Paul’s School at Kacharakanahalli.

She would send her two daughters to a nearby anganwadi school. Last fortnight, she brought them home.

Police had a tough time locating Savitha as she hardly mingled with neighbours. The bodies were shifted to Ambedkar hospital around 4:15 pm. However, till Savitha was brought to the hospital, the police were in the dark over the identity of the children.