A man extradited from India has appeared in court in east London charged with the murder of his estranged wife and their two little girls in Whitechapel more than 12 years ago.

Mohammed Abdul Shakur, 45, appeared yesterday before Barkingside magistrates accused of three charges of murder in December 2006. He appears next at the Old Bailey tomorrow.

Shakur, originally from Bangladesh, was extradited from India where he has been in prison since 2012 for immigration offences. Extradition proceedings began in 2013, but have only been completed recently.

He arrived at Heathrow Airport on Saturday and was immediately taken in custody when his plane landed. He was charged yesterday with the three murders.

His estranged wife Juli Begum, 26, was found dead with her two infant daughters, five-year-old Anika Khanum and six-year-old Thanha Khanum, at their home in Nelson Street in 2007.

Their bodies had been discovered a month after concerns were raised about their disappearance.