UNNAO: A woman and her two children allegedly died of asphyxiation in the Bangarmau area of Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district, police said on Tuesday. The incident occurred when the family lit a brazier inside a closed room to stay warm, they added.
Bangarmau Circle Officer (CO) Arvind Kumar said Alok Singh, a subedar in the Army currently posted in Ladakh, resided in the New Katra Mohalla of Bangarmau with his wife Rachna (35), their seven-year-old son Vaibhav, and four-year-old daughter Vaishnavi.
"On Monday morning, around 10 am, the family's milkman came to deliver milk and knocked on the door repeatedly, but no one responded. He then informed the woman's relatives, who live in Munnikheda village," he said.
Upon their arrival, the relatives broke open the door and found Rachna and Vaishnavi's bodies lying on the bed, while Vaibhav's body was on the floor.
Police reached the scene and initiated a legal inquiry.
Alok Singh's brother, Pankaj Singh, said Alok had called his wife several times on Monday, but when the calls went unanswered, he assumed they were sleeping and did not call again.
Circle Officer Kumar said, "Prima facie, it appears that the brazier was lit inside the room. Initial investigations suggest that gas accumulation and suffocation may have caused the deaths.
Further legal proceedings are underway.