A man reportedly killed four of his children on Sunday in Sarai Alamgir tehsil of Gujrat district in Punjab, DawnNewsTV reported.

According to SHO Saddar Fiaz Ahmed, the 50-year-old father was under enormous stress and "having grown tired of poverty, butchered his children to death with an axe".

"The children include three girls aged 10, 8 and 6 years old, respectively, and one boy aged 12. In a stroke of luck, the eldest child, a 15-year-old boy survived the attack whilst he was away at a neighbour's house," revealed the SHO.

At the time of the incident, the children's mother was not present at home. The father locked the children in a room and mercilessly axed them to death, the official said.

DSP Saddar Riaz ul Haq, while talking to DawnNewsTV, said the people of the area subdued and restrained the suspect till the police arrived at the scene. "The police arrested the suspect and recovered the murder weapon."

Police also shifted the children's bodies to the THQ Sarai Alamgir hospital.

Despite providing assurances that the crime is being investigated, police are yet to register a case against the primary suspect.