MEERUT, Dec. 18 -- A 35-year-old man allegedly shot dead his wife for stepping out without wearing a burqa following a dispute over money, before killing his two minor daughters who witnessed the crime and burying all three bodies inside his house in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, police said on Wednesday. The gruesome murders, committed on the night of December 10 in Garhi Daulat village in the Kandla area, came to light after the accused's father alerted the police on Tuesday. According to police, the accused, identified as Farooq, worked as a cook at wedding functions and lived separately from his parents -- Daud and Asgari -- in the same village. He resided with his wife Tahira, 32, and their five children. Police said Farooq was not on speaking terms with his parents. Daud grew suspicious when Tahira and two of her daughters -- Afreen, 14, and Sahreen, 7 -- remained missing for six days. When he questioned Farooq about their whereabouts, the latter claimed they were staying in a rented house. Unsatisfied with the explanation, Daud approached the police on Tuesday, expressing suspicion that his son had killed them. Acting on the complaint, police took Farooq into custody and questioned him. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime. Police later excavated the house and recovered the bodies of Tahira and her two daughters. Superintendent of police Narendra Pratap Singh said the accused revealed that he had a heated argument with his wife about a month earlier over household expenses. Tahira had complained that Farooq did not give her enough money to run the family. After the dispute, she reportedly went to her parental home in Nara village of Muzaffarnagar without wearing a burqa. Farooq allegedly told police that since their marriage, he had kept his wife in "strict purdah" and had never allowed her to step out without wearing a burqa. Enraged by her decision, he allegedly shot Tahira dead on the night of December 10. When their two daughters witnessed the crime, he allegedly killed them as well and buried all three bodies inside the house. Police officials said the accused displayed shocking brutality. Afreen was found with one eye gouged out. A blood-stained wooden stick was also recovered from the spot, and it is suspected that the accused used it to attack the child, they said. During questioning, Farooq also disclosed that he had studied up to Class 5 in a madrasa before dropping out. Police said he showed no visible remorse. Tahira's father alleged that Farooq had been harassing his daughter for a long time and said panchayats were convened more than ten times in Garhi Daulat village and at their parental home to resolve the disputes. Police said a case of murder had been registered and further investigation was underway....