Three sisters, aged two, four and eight have died due to starvation in Delhi’s Mandawalli area. The girls were brought to a hospital by their mother and a friend at 1 pm on Tuesday. The hospital authorities later told the police that they were brought dead, PTI reported on Wednesday.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said in a tweet that the government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter. “The girls and their parents were guests at a tenant’s house in Mandawalli,” Sisodia said. “The police have been unable to find their father as he does not own a cellphone and their mother suffers from a mental illness.” Sisodia added that he will visit the house on Thursday morning.

Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital’s Medical Director Dr Amita Saxena told The Times of India that the initial autopsy report indicated that the girls had died of starvation.

The police were treating the case as one of natural death until they found medicine bottles and pills at the house, prompting them to investigate further, PTI reported. “A board of doctors conducted a re-examination at the GTB hospital,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Pankaj Singh said.

Their father was a cycle rickshaw puller in Madhu Vihar, the news agency reported. He has been searching for work since his rickshaw was stolen a few days ago.