A 25-year-old tribal youth, reportedly distressed over unemployment, brutally murdered his family members, including his parents and younger brother, on Wednesday in Betul district's Sawanga village.
The youth also murdered his pet cat and attacked his 5-year-old nephew, who sustained injuries.
The man was seen seated next to the dead bodies of his family members while his injured nephew was found lying on the ground and sleeping when the neighbours found them on Thursday afternoon.
According to police, the crime came to light when the neighbours, upon finding the thatched hut locked from the inside since morning, came to inquire about the family. They shouted and, upon getting no response, peeped inside from the window and found the youth seated next to a pool of blood with the victims lying on the ground.
The accused has been identified as Deepak Dhurve while the deceased are Raju (55), Kamalti Dhurve (45) and Dilip (23).
"When our team went inside, we first got Deepak out, then brought out the three bodies, which were soaked in blood. The situation in the house narrated what had happened the previous night. Foodgrain lay scattered, other belongings in the house were strewn around, and even the cell phones were broken, showing signs of struggle," Betul Kotwali police station in-charge Devkaran said.
An iron rod and a lathi were recovered from the house, police said.
Devkaran cited the statements of some villagers and said that the youth had been suffering from mental illness for the past few years.
"We’ll have to check if there is any documentary evidence that establishes that he was under treatment for any such illness,” the police official said.
Meanwhile, distant relatives of the family said Deepak was a promising student who had topped the Class XII exam in his school. They said Deepak was preparing for the CRPF recruitment exam, and the failure to land a suitable government job had plunged him into depression.