The siblings had left their respective homes along with the children on June 17.(Representational)
Six members of a family who were found dead in Ahmedabad's Vatva on June 19 took the step because they were unable to pay debts totaling Rs 35 lakh due to lack of jobs during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, police said on Monday.
Brothers Amrish Patel (42) and Gaurang Patel (40), and their four children in the 7-12 age group, were found dead in an unoccupied flat owned by one of the brothers.
The siblings had left their respective homes along with the children on June 17 leaving behind their wives, who approached police after all of them failed to return home.
"Our probe has found the family has 45 loan accounts, has 27 credit cards with Rs 12 lakh to be paid, and had also taken individual, home, car loans etc. While one brother drove a taxi for an aggregator firm, the other sibling worked in the fabric industry," said Inspector DR Gohil of Vatva GIDC police station.
"We assume their financial status worsened due to the lockdown, pushing them into taking such an extreme step along with their children," he said.
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