Kerala witnessed a chilling incident on Saturday after five family members, including three children, were found dead at a rented house in Kochi. Among the deceased, there were two women and three children, hailing from Thiruvananthapuram. They were residing in a rented house for a few months following the treatment of one of the children at a nearby hospital.
The deceased were identified as Kanakalatha and her daughter, Aswathy. While the three minors were Aswathy’s children—two sons aged 14 and 10 and a two-year-old daughter.
According to the police, the elders could have killed children before ending their own lives. The investigation team is trying to contact the relatives of the deceased and initiate inquest proceedings. A case will be registered at the Ernakulam North Police Station after a preliminary probe, police added.
A suicide note was recovered from the scene. Police said that the case might be a result of prolonged stress. However, the actual cause will be confirmed only after conducting the post-mortem.
The inquiry also revealed that Aswathi's husband died by suicide a year ago following alcohol addiction and prolonged marital dispute. As the note says, Aswathi faced blame for her husband's untimely death.
According to Times of India, nearly a month after her husband's death, the woman made a will declaring her assets to be transferred to an entity called "Providence Home". Police are trying to identify the perpetrator and whether it has any links to the suicide and murders.
The case comes months after a woman allegedly hanged her three children and then attempted to take her own life by consuming diesel in Karnataka’s Bagalkot, nearly 500 km from Bangalore. However, while all three children died, the woman herself survived and is currently in critical condition.