Police sources said Alka Bedekar (18), Chaya Bedekar (17) and Sarika Shitole threw themselves in front of a Churchgate-bound train at around 12.15 am. A search of the bodies revealed their photographs along with their names and addresses. The three girls were residents of Hanuman Nagar, Goregaon (w).

According to Sarika's father Mohan Shitole, Sarika and the other two girls, who lived in the same neighbourhood, were close friends. All three had dropped out of school before completing their matriculation and were at home since, he said. However, he had no idea why they entered into a suicide pact.

He said the three girls had left the Shitoles' residence at around 6.30 pm saying they were going to a nearby temple. After he came home at around 9.30 pm, he inquired about his daughter and learnt that even the other two girls were missing from their home, he said. He madeinquiries in the neighbourhood but no one had any clue about where the girls were, he said.

At around 1.30 am, he got a call from the railway police saying three bodies had been found near the railway station. He went and identified the bodies, he said.

A police official at Borivli railway station said preliminary inquiries have revealed the sisters could have been frustrated because they were poor.