HAZARIBAG: A couple and their four-year-old son have been found dead in a room of their new house in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district, police said on Tuesday.
Police suspect that they inhaled carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that came from a coal fired oven placed in the room to beat the cold leading to their death.
Bodies of Rinku Khan (35), his wife Nikhat Parveen (32) and their son were found on Monday, on the eve of the 'griha pravesh' (rituals before entering a new house) ceremony.
Rinku's brother-in-law Iftikar Khan who came to participate in the ceremony was also found lying unconscious in the house in Pelawal police station area in the outskirts of Hazaribagh town.
Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chouthe said it appears that inhalation of carbon monoxide gas was the cause behind the deaths.
Rinku's father Karim Khan said his son had placed the coal fired oven inside the room to keep it warm as cold wave conditions prevail in the area.
The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination at Hazaribag Medical College and Hospital, while Iftikar Khan was referred to a hospital in Ranchi for better treatment.