Following a matrimonial dispute, a resident of Gurhe village in Jalandhar district, 20 km from here, killed four members of his family in the wee hours of Friday.
Inspector general of police (zonal) Balbir Kumar Bawa told HT that Baljinder Singh, who reached the house of his in-laws at Kotrani village, 5 km from here, on Friday morning, along with two to three of his unidentified accomplices, killed his 32-year-old wife Reema, their four-year-old daughter Sumani, his sister-in-law, Seema, 28, and her son Harsh, 2, by hitting them on their heads with iron rods. Two others - his brother-in-law Om Parkash Tari, 26, and Seema's other son Harry, 6, -- were injured in the gruesome attack.
The murders took place around 5am. Manjit Kaur, mother of the deceased sisters, who had gone to the village gurdwara, on her return found the six lying in pool of blood. Reema and Seema's elder brother Vijay Kumar reported the matter to the police.Kapurthala SSP Inderbir Singh said all the victims were attacked on their heads; the two sisters died on the spot, whereas the two children succumbed to their injuries on way to hospital.
The two injured were rushed to the civil hospital here, where their condition was said to be critical, he added.
Preliminary investigation points to the murders being the result of a matrimonial dispute between Seema and Baljinder Singh, as for the past fortnight, Reema had been living at her parents' house following a conflict with her husband. Seema had also been living at her parents' house as her husband works abroad.
The SSP said, "Our investigation had revealed that Baljinder had asked her wife to arrange money for him on Thursday night and in case of failure had even warned her of dire consequences. In the morning, he attacked the family and fled the spot. It appears that there were some more persons involved in the crime."
Preliminary investigation points to the murders being the result of a matrimonial dispute between Seema and Baljinder Singh, as for the past fortnight, Reema had been living at her parents' house following a conflict with her husband. Seema had also been living at her parents' house as her husband works abroad.
The SSP said, "Our investigation had revealed that Baljinder had asked her wife to arrange money for him on Thursday night and in case of failure had even warned her of dire consequences. In the morning, he attacked the family and fled the spot. It appears that there were some more persons involved in the crime."
The police have registered a case under sections 302, 324 and 34 of the IPC.