The exact cause of the extreme step taken by Pandurang Shreeram Kodape was yet to be ascertained.
A 35-year-old tribal farm labourer allegedly killed his three minor children by throwing them into a well before committing suicide by jumping into it at Falegaon village in Maharashtra, police said today.
The three children - Gayatri, 14, Jaya, 10, and Komal, 5 - also died along with their father Pandurang Shreeram Kodape. Mr Kodape on Wednesday first threw the children into the well at a farm of one Banu Bakode in the village and then he himself jumped into it.
A police team rushed to the spot and fished out the bodies of Mr Kodape and two children. Later, after six hour-long efforts, they managed to retrieve the fourth body also.
After the spot panchnama, all the four bodies were sent to the rural hospital of Babhulgaon for postmortem.
The exact cause of the extreme step taken by Mr Kodape was yet to be ascertained.
"It would be known only after police investigation and the postmortem report," Residential Deputy Collector Rajesh Khawle said.
Mr Kodape had been cultivating three acre of land taken on rent by him. He worked in others farms also along with his second wife Vandana to earn livelihood.
The locals said the family was in utter poverty which led frequent quarrels between the couple.
The farm labourer had taken a loan of about Rs 35,000 from a private finance company for his agricultural requirements. Vandana was later taken into custody for questioning in connection with the case.
The last rites of the four were conducted today at the village.
Yavatmal's Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Kumar Singh and other senior officials visited the suicide spot and took stock of the situation.
Babhulgaon police are further investigating the matter.