AHMEDABAD: The bodies of a couple and their minor three children were found at their house in Gujarat's Ahmedabad district in the wee hours of Sunday, with police suspecting it to be a case of mass suicide, officials said.
The incident took place in Bagodara village and the police were informed about it around 2 am, Ahmedabad (rural) Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Jat said.
Prima facie, it appeared that they died by suicide by consuming poison.
Further probe was underway to ascertain the reason behind the extreme step, he said.
"A man, his wife and their three children died by consuming poison at their rented accommodation in Bagodara. The man used to drive an auto-rickshaw for a living, and the exact reason behind the extreme step taken by the family is not immediately clear," the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Vipul Vaghela (32), his wife Sonal (26) and their children Kareena (11), Mayur (8) and Princess (5), a Bagodara police station official said.
The bodies were sent to a local hospital for postmortem, he said.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)