The police have formed a special team to investigate the murder of four members of a family at Vannapuram here, whose bodies were found buried in a pit near their house on Wednesday.
The 40-member is led by Thodupuzha Deputy Superintendent of Police K.P.Jose.
The bodies of Kanattu Krishnan, 52, his wife Susheela, 50, and daughter Asha, 21, and son Arjun, 17, were recovered after their neighbours found bloodstains on the floor and walls of their house.
Krishnan, said to be a practitioner of black magic, used to have visitors from far-off places and the family did not have much contact with the neighbours.
The bodies were buried on the house premises on Thursday.
Asha and Arjun were students.
Mr. Jose said the police were collecting evidence and all aspects, including property dispute, if any, with their family members, would be looked into.
A dog squad and fingerprint experts collected evidence from the spot on Wednesday. It was found that Asha had contacted her friends over the phone on Sunday night. The police would also look whether any valuables were lost from the house. The family was living in a one-acre rubber plantation and the house was away from the road. The police suspect the crime would have been committed on Sunday night.
