The incident is suspected to have taken place on Monday night, police said (Representational)
A man allegedly murdered his wife and daughter by giving them some poisonous substance first and then slitting their throats before attempting to kill himself in Paravur, in Kerala's southern district of Kollam, on Tuesday.
The accused, Sreeju, a 46-year-old man from Poothakkulam, also tried to kill his elder son Sreerag (17) by cutting his throat and later attempted to kill himself by piercing his vein on his hand, Paravur police said.
Both the father and son were found this morning in critical condition at their house and rushed to a nearby hospital, they said.
The incident is suspected to have taken place on Monday night, and the motionless bodies of Preetha (39) and Sreenandha (12) were found in the house by relatives living nearby, a senior police officer said.
Having received no response from anyone when called, relatives broke open the door to the house. When they entered the house, they found the bleeding bodies of the family of four.
"The wife, daughter, and son suffered cuts to their throats. We suspect that the wife and daughter were also given some poisonous substance, but we can confirm it only after the pathology report comes out," the officer told PTI.
A surgery was performed on Sreerag at a private hospital here, the officer said, but didn't disclose details about his health condition.
Though Sreeju, the accused, was rushed to the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram, his condition is yet to stabilise, he said.
Quoting their relatives, police said financial difficulties are suspected to be behind the killings and attempted suicide.
Sreeju is a mason by profession, and Preetha was working at a local cooperative bank in the district.
A detailed investigation is underway, police added
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