LUCKNOW/BAHRAICH, Jan. 11 -- The bodies of a woman and her two minor daughters were recovered from a pond in the Payagpur town area of Bahraich district late on Saturday night, triggering allegations of domestic harassment and murder over the absence of a male child in the family, police said on Sunday.

Officials said the woman, identified as Nisha, 35, had been married for 12 years to Vishnu, a resident of Payagpur. The couple had three daughters -- Lado, 10, Mishti, 7, and Khushboo, 2. The bodies of Nisha, Misti and Khushboo were recovered from a pond located behind their house.

Nisha's father Ramchandra Gupta, a resident of Shivpur village, alleged that his daughter was harassed by her in-laws for not giving birth to a son.

"Her in-...