LUCKNOW: Two sisters battling depression and distressed over their pet dog's illness have allegedly died by suicide after consuming phenyl at their home here, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred in the Doda Kheda-Jalalpur area in the state capital. The deceased have been identified as Radha Singh (26) and her younger sister Jiya Singh (22), they said.

According to the police, information was received from a local private hospital around 2.30 pm on Wednesday that two sisters had been admitted after allegedly consuming phenyl. Radha Singh died during treatment, while Jiya Singh was later referred to King George's Medical University in central Lucknow, where she also succumbed.

A police officer told PTI that a preliminary inquiry based on statements from family members revealed that both sisters were suffering from depression.

One of them had tuberculosis, which had aggravated her mental health condition, while the other had been battling depression since 2014. Their parents, Gulab Devi and Kailash Singh, are also reportedly unwell. The family includes a brother, Veer Singh, who works as a small-time contractor.

The police said that the sisters had recently adopted a pet dog and had grown deeply attached to it, caring for it together and "often mirroring each other's actions". The dog had been ill for nearly a month, which left both women "increasingly distressed and withdrawn".