Five members of a family were found dead in their house in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Friday.
Police suspect it to be a case of alleged murder by the male head of the family and his subsequent suicide, and are probing if the deaths were related to any financial problems the family was facing.
The deceased were identifed as Vivek Shukla (38), his wife Anamika and their three minor children.
While Shukla was found hanging, the other family members were found dead in their room, said police. A note was found from the spot but it did not specify any financial problems behind the incident, said police. The contents of the note could not be independently verified.
Superintendent of Police Barabanki Arvind Chaturvedi said the deceased lived in a pucca house in Safehabad. The air-conditioner in the house was found working when the police entered the house, he said.
Th officer also said that the deceased Vivek Shukla’s father said he had severed ties with him due to some family issues.
“Evidence is being collected,” said the officer, adding that post-mortem reports would ascertain the cause of death.
Mr. Chaturvedi told The Hindu that “basically it appears to be [a case of] professional and domestic failure but there was nothing [to point towards] financial constraints.”
Vivek Shukla used to work in the mobile repair and auto-repair professions and was also involved in real estate work, the officer said, adding that case was being probed.
Those who require assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts may see https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/suicide-prevention-helplines/article25612310.ece .
