U.P. man murders wife, three minor daughters

Kills self; post-mortem report awaited

Five members of a family were found dead at their home in Allahabad under mysterious conditions on Monday night.

The police said the man, identified as Manoj Kushwaha, allegedly murdered his wife and three minor daughters before hanging himself.

When police reached the house in Peepal Gaon area under the Dhoomanganj police station limits, they found the door latched from inside. Upon breaking in, the police discovered five bodies -- while Mr. Kushwaha’s wife Shweta was found dead in a fridge, one of his daughters was found in an almirah while the youngest had been stuffed into a suitcase, said Senior Superintendent of Police, Allahabad, Nitin Tiwari.

The fourth body was found on the ground.

“Prima facie it appears that the husband committed suicide by hanging. The post-mortem report will help us clearly established this,” Mr. Tiwari said.

No suicide note was found.

The officer said that there was no other entry point to the house other than the latched door. It would be investigated whether the murders took place with some weapon or strangulation of some form, he added.

Neighbours told the police that the couple would often argue and on the day of the incident, the family had kept their television on high volume leading to suspicion among neighbours.