Man kills wife, 4-year-old daughter, dies by suicide

No suicide note was recovered from the spot. Police are yet to ascertain the motive behind the double murder and suicide, for which they are interrogating the son, investigators said.

A 42-year-old man allegedly killed his wife and four-year-old daughter before hanging himself from a ceiling fan at their rented house at Nihal Vihar in the outer district on Thursday night, police officers aware of the matter said on Friday.

The bodies were discovered by the man’s 22-year-old son after he returned home from work on Friday morning after working overnight. (Representational Image)

The bodies were discovered by the man’s 22-year-old son after he returned home from work on Friday morning after working overnight.

No suicide note was recovered from the spot. Police are yet to ascertain the motive behind the double murder and suicide, for which they are interrogating the son, investigators said.

The deceased man worked as a confectioner, said a police officer on condition of anonymity.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Jimmy Chiram said that around 9.30 am on Friday, the police control room received a call regarding a suicide at a house at RZE block in Nihal Vihar. A police team reached the spot and met a woman, who was the owner of the building in which the bodies were found. The woman told the police that she lives on the first floor, while the ground floor was rented out to the family.

“The police team went to the first floor and found a 42-year-old man hanging from a ceiling fan. There were blood stains all over his body. They found the bodies of the man’s 38-year-old wife and minor daughter on the bed. They were killed with a sharp weapon,” said the DCP.

During inquiry, the police said, it was learnt that the main door of the house was found locked from inside when the son returned home in the morning. The son alerted the neighbours, after which the door was broken. The police were then informed.

“Prima facie, it seems that the man first killed his wife and daughter with some sharp weapon and later died by suicide by hanging himself. A case of murder has been registered at the Nihal Vihar police station. Further investigation is on,” added DCP Chiram.

A police officer associated with the investigation on condition of anonymity said that during the preliminary probe, investigators learnt that the couple would fight frequently over financial and other domestic issues. They are probing if the woman filed any domestic violence complaint against her husband at any police station or agencies handling such issues.

“Before drawing any conclusion, we will verify all information that we have collected so far. We are in touch with the neighbours and relatives of the couple to get details about their married life,” the officer added.