A farmer, his wife and their two sons were found dead in two different locations in Maharashtra’s Nanded district on Thursday morning, in what police suspect to be a mass suicide, an official said.
Around 8 am, the bodies of Ramesh Sonaji Lakhe (51) and his wife Radhabai Lakhe (45) were discovered on a cot in their home at Jawala Murar village in Mudkhed tehsil, he said.
The bodies of their sons, Umesh (25) and Bajrang (23), were subsequently found on nearby railway lines. It appears they jumped in front of a speeding train, the official said.
Police inspector Dattatray Manthale told reporters, “The parents were found dead inside their home, while the sons took their lives on the railway tracks. We have asked a Forensic Science Laboratory team to collect evidence. The truth will come out only after a thorough technical investigation and autopsy.”
While the nature of their death appears to be part of a suicide pact, police said the exact circumstances remain unclear.
The family belonged to the small-scale farming community, but it is not yet confirmed if financial distress or a domestic crisis triggered the extreme step, the official said.
Neighbours described the Lakhes as a hardworking family who struggled against the odds of small-land farming to sustain themselves.
The post mortem of the bodies has been performed at the state run hospital, while the viscera has been reserved for chemical analysis, police said.
As per the probe so far, Umesh (25) and Bajrang (23) left their house at 2.30am, and there are eyewitnesses who saw both of them jumping in front of a train, resulting in their deaths on the spot, the official said.
“It is unclear how the parents died. As all four members of the household have died, statements of kin are being recorded to piece together the chain of events and circumstances. We are checking for notes or final messages left by the family,” he said.
The complainant in the case is the nephew of the deceased farmer, he added.
“The last rites were conducted in their village after post mortem. We are awaiting the final post mortem report, which is expected to give clarity in the incident,” the official said.
