An Indian-origin man, convicted of murdering his wife and two minor daughters, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by an court in Fiji.

33-year-old Bimlesh Dayal was sentenced by the high court in Suva, the capital of the island nation of Fiji, for murdering his wife Ranjini Rekha Singh and two daughters, Amisha and Anisha, on October 28, 2011, at their family home in Vatuwaqa, the Fiji Times’ reported. He later tried to commit suicide Bimlesh has to serve at least 20 years in jail for three counts of murder before he becomes eligible for parole, Justice Paul Madigan ruled yesterday.

The incident had sent ripples through the Indian origin community in Fiji, which forms almost 40 per cent of the total population of 827,900.