Woman, 4 daughters found dead in Lucknow hotel

Senior police officer Raveena Tyagi said the woman’s son, Mohammad Arshad, who has been taken into custody, and his father, Badar, are the prime suspects

Lucknow: The bodies of a 45-year-old woman and her four daughters, aged between 9 and 19, were recovered from a hotel room in Lucknow’s Nak on Wednesday, a police officer said.

Police said the woman and her daughters were seen outside their hotel room before 1am. (Representative photo)

Deputy police commissioner (central) Raveena Tyagi said the woman’s son, Mohammad Arshad, who has been taken into custody, and his father, Badar, are the prime suspects. “We are actively searching for Badar. The family is from Agra. They arrived in Lucknow on December 29 and booked a hotel room for two days,” said Tyagi.

Tyagi said the hotel staff told police that the woman and her daughters were seen outside the room before 1am. “Investigations are underway and we are trying to find the motive behind the crime.” Tyagi said that injuries on the bodies suggested the five were strangled. “The absence of any resistance raises suspicion that they were sedated before the murders,” she said.

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Arshad allegedly told the police that he and his father murdered the five before Badar fled the hotel.