UDUPI: In a ghastly incident, a woman, her two daughters, and a son were murdered at her residence in Tripthi Nagara near Nejar, under the Malpe police station limits here on Sunday. The incident occurred around 8.30 AM when an unidentified assailant allegedly came in an autorickshaw and fled soon after committing the murders.
The deceased have been identified as Haseena (47), her children Afnan (23), Aynaz (21), and Aseem (14). Haseena’s mother-in-law Hajira (70), who was at home at the time of the incident, was injured and has been hospitalized, police sources said.
Haseena’s husband Mohammed Noor works abroad and she lives at her residence with the three children and the mother-in-law. The motive behind the murder is not known yet. It is said that an unidentified man stabbed all the five. While four were killed on the spot, Hajira escaped with critical injuries as she locked herself inside the bathroom. Neighbors, who heard their cries, rushed to the spot, but by then the assailant had fled, the sources said.
Udupi SP Dr Arun K, who visited the spot, told reporters that it did not appear to be murders for gain as nothing valuable was missing from the house.
Not murder for gain: SP
There is no prima facie evidence to say that the murders occurred because of a family issue, the SP said. Malpe police have registered the case. Sources said that the absence of CCTV cameras at the residential area or inside the house, where the incident occurred, has come as an impediment to the investigation. The police have formed five teams to crack the case.
Asked whether there was more than one accused involved, the SP said a detailed investigation will be conducted to find more facts. He, however, noted that personal enmity could be the reason behind the horrific murders. “We will not be able to conclude the actual reason at this stage of investigation. Since no property is missing from the house, we believe that it could not be a murder for gain. There were only five people in the house when the incident took place,” he added.