CHICAGO: Tragedy has struck yet another Indian family beset with domestic problems. A couple of months ago, an Indian woman, Nimisha Tiwari burnt herself with her two children in Naperville. This time it is Kaushik Patel, 34, who allegedly doused his two children, Om and Vish, with gasoline and set them on fire.

In the process he also got burnt badly.According to police sources, Patel is suspected to have doused his sons in gasoline and set them ablaze late Sunday in a bathroom shower stall inside their Harvest Lane home in Glendale Heights.

They reported finding new Matchbox toy cars inside the bathroom that may have been used to lure the boys there.Kaushik drove his injured sons about five miles to his brother Rajendra Patel's house in Hanover Park, where rescuers were summoned at 9:15 p.m. Sunday, police said, Their mother, Nisha Patel, was not home at the time of incident.It is reported by the authorities that Kaushik made incriminating statements to his brother, Rajendra, who is cooperating with the investigation.

Kaushik and Nisha are reported to have had marital problems, but no one foresaw the violence that unfolded, according to some family sources. As her two young sons lay in drug-induced comas after being severely burned, Nisha clad in a charcoal-colored shawl and a printed orange salwar kameez, kept vigil in a waiting room of the burn unit at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. Also being treated for burns in the hospital was her husband, Kaushik.Nisha Patel has not been allowed to see her sons, Om, 4, and Vishv, 7, since the incident, friends said.

The boys remain in critical condition, authorities said. Police continued to question Kaushik Patel, but the investigation has been slowed because of his frequent burn treatments. DuPage County State Attorney Office said that an officer is stationed at the hospital watching Kaushik Patel's room. He has not been arrested or charged so far.

The incident is described as a botched suicide involving himself and his two young sons.Kaushik Patel worked afternoon from 3 pm-to-midnight shift in the etching department at Mega Circuit in Addison, a manufacturer of printed circuit boards. He worked at Mega Circuit for more than 10 years. His hours allowed him to pick up his children from school before going to work.The boys attend Pheasant Ridge School in Glendale Heights.

The 7-year-old Vish is said to be a well behaved and outgoing child. Tuesday was his birthday. Social workers, counselors and psychologists spoke with students and staff members to help the Glendale Heights-based school community cope. The teachers and class mates are all very upset, although they are holding it together as they know the kids look to them to take the lead. The Patels hail from Gujarat in India.

They've been in the country for at least 11 years. They moved to Glendale Heights last summer and previously lived in Hanover Park and Addison, where Kaushik Patel works making printed circuit boards. After marrying in 1997, he waited two years for his wife to get a visa. But the couple's marriage had been troubled in recent years, according a family source.