Angry over his younger brother securing a government job on compassionate grounds, a 30-year-old man allegedly set two rooms of their house on fire, killing four members of the family and injuring four others in West Bengal's Malda district, police said Monday.
The incident occurred at Madantola village under Manikchak police station, they said.
Accused Makhan Mondal allegedly poured petrol in two rooms of the tiled-roofed hut on Sunday night when the family members were asleep.
Makhan's younger brother Gobinda, 28, elder brother Bikash, 32, and Goninda's two daughters - aged 3 and one-and-a-half years - were charred to death, the police said.
The two children died on the spot while Bikash and Gobinda died of their injuries in hospital, they added.
Bikash's wife, son and daughter and Gobinda's wife were admitted to the Malda Medical College and Hospital in a serious condition, police said.
Mother of the brothers was sleeping in another room and she escaped unhurt, they said.
The police said Makhan, whose wife is now at her parents' place, was missing.
Police and family sources said Gedu Mondal, a worker of the National Volunteer Force (NVF), had died in harness sometime back and Gobinda got the job on compassionate grounds with help from Bikash, leaving Makhan angry.
The brothers were engaged in agricultural work.
Their another brother Lakshman lives in Delhi.
At Key Party Meet, West Bengal BJP Leaders Seek Demand Accountability Amid Electoral Setback West Bengal Forms Seven-Member Panel To Review New Criminal Laws Former Sikkim Minister's Body Found In West Bengal Canal World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report 32 Dead In Bangladesh Unrest, Protesters Set Fire To State TV Headquarters Comedy Legend Bob Newhart Dead At 94: Publicist Israeli Strike Kills Field Commander In Elite Hezbollah Unit: Report Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.