Ranchi, Mar 30 (IANS): A man attempted suicide by hanging himself from a tree after strangulating his two children to death in Jharkhand's Jamtara. The accused dumped the children's bodies in a nearby forest.

The accused has been identified as Manoranjan Marandi, a resident of Lakhanpur village in Jamtara district.

The deceased children have been identified as three-year-old Suravali Marandi (3) and one-and-a-half-year old Shivram Marandi.

According to sources, villagers spotted the children's bodies in Birhara forest on Wednesday and the news spread like wildfire among the villagers.

Sources said that Marandi was found hanging from a tree in the same forest and was brought down by the villagers in an unconscious state.

The accused has been arrested and is presently undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Marandi's wife Ganmuni Soren said that on Wednesday morning, her husband had left the house along with the kids, saying that he would bathe the children.

The reason behind the accused's act has not been ascertained yet.