A 71-year-old man killed his disabled daughter and wife and later attempted suicide near Kizhakambalam on Wednesday.
According to the police, Varghese, a resident of Mailattumugal near here, strangled to death his wife Annamma, 65 and Elizabeth, 41.
The incident took place between 12 midnight and 3.30 a.m. as the victims were sleeping in their rooms.
Thereafter, he consumed poison in an apparent suicide bid but survived upon being taken to a hospital.
The incident came to light when Varghese contacted his relatives over phone and informed them about the crime. The relatives alerted the local police and they rushed to the spot and shifted Varghese to a hospital nearby.
The police said Varghese was upset over the health of his wife, who had been undergoing treatment for some age-related illness and had was finding it difficult to take care of his bed-ridden daughter.
“When we reached the crime scene, we saw the mother and daughter lying in two different rooms. During interrogation, Varghese confessed to the crime and said that he was about to kill himself,” officials said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Varghese had been mentally disturbed for some time now and was undergoing treatment for the same.
Officials say, Varghese did not face any severe financial difficulties and his younger son Shibi has been settled in the United States for the last seven years.
The accused has been booked for murder charges under IPC 307.
