Bodies of 2 kids among 5 of kin found hanging in Bihar’s Samastipur: Police

The bodies of a 65-year-old woman, her 35-year-old son, 28-year-old daughter-in-law and grandsons, aged 6 and 5, were found hanging from a wooden beam of the house at Mau village in Bihar’s Samastipur district, said Hriday Kant, superintendent of police (SP), Samastipur.

Five members of a family, including two children, were found hanging inside their house at Mau village in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Sunday, police said.

Five members of a family, including two children, were found hanging inside their house at Mau village in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Sunday, police said. (Representative use)

The bodies of a 65-year-old woman, her 35-year-old son, 28-year-old daughter-in-law and grandsons, aged 6 and 5, were found hanging from a wooden beam of the house, said Hriday Kant, superintendent of police (SP), Samastipur.

“A probe has been initiated. We can’t tell anything at this juncture,” the SP said. “Forensic and postmortem reports will help us ascertain the exact cause of death.”

The family was in debt and was under tremendous pressure to clear a loan taken from a self-help group, said local residents who knew the family. The police said they are yet to ascertain the loan amount.

“Some evidence has been collected from the spot and a probe has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of death,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.

A few people allegedly involved in money lending have been detained for interrogation, said Dinesh Kumar Pandey, deputy superintendent of police. “Police are looking at the case from both the angle of suicide as well as murder,” added Pandey.

Bihar’s education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who hails from the same district, visited the village where the incident took place and said the police will probe the incident from all angles. “A thorough probe will be done,” he added.