Family of three found dead in Varkala

On hearing a big sound and noticing a fire breakout from the two-storeyed house, their neighbours alerted the Fire and Rescue Services

September 16, 2020 11:28 am | Updated 11:28 am IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

In a case of suspected suicide, three members of a family were found charred to death at their home near Varkala during the early hours of Tuesday.

The deceased were identified as Sreekumar, 60; his wife Mini, 55; and their daughter Ananthalakshmi, 26. The incident is suspected to have occurred at Vettoor by around 3.30 a.m.

On hearing a big sound and noticing a fire breakout from the two-storeyed house, their neighbours alerted the Fire and Rescue Services. The charred bodies of the trio were found after the fire was doused. While the bodies of Mini and Ananthalakshmi were found in a bedroom on the ground floor, Sreekumar was found partially burnt in a bathroom. They were all confirmed dead at a hospital.

According to the preliminary findings, Sreekumar is suspected to have killed his wife and daughter by dousing them in petrol and setting them ablaze while they were asleep. He later could have committed suicide, the police said.

Financial troubles

Sreekumar was a contractor who undertook infrastructure projects commissioned by the Military Engineer Services. Ananthalakshmi is known to have been pursuing PhD in Aeronautical Engineering in Hyderabad.

According to the police, the family that used to be financially well-off fell on difficult times. In a purported suicide note, Sreekumar accused a Thirumala-based sub-contractor of having cheated him.

(Suicide prevention helpline: DISHA – 1056, 0471 - 2552056).

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.