Five commit suicide in Chennai

New Delhi: A carpenter who worked in a private hospital in Chennai on Wednesday committed suicide along with his wife and three daughters.

The deceased were identified as Velayudham, his wife Eswari and daughters Vijayalakshmi (19), Shobana (17) and Suganya (14). Police sources said that Velayudham administered poison to his wife and three daughters, and later committed suicide by hanging himself.

The incident came to light on Thursday morning when the police broke open the Velayudham's house and removed the bodies.

Mounting debts coupled with a love affair involving his eldest daughter had forced the family to take the extreme step, police sources, quoting preliminary investigations told UNI.

There were also marks of strangulation in the bodies of the daughters of Velayudham, UNI quoted police as saying.