THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three members of a family found charred to death inside their residence at Varkala early Tuesday.
The deceased are Sreekumar, 58, his wife Mini, 58 and their daughter Ananthalakshmi, 26.
According to Varkala police, the neighbours saw fire billowing out from the first floor of the house around 3 am and hence they informed the fire and Rescue service.
When the officers rushed into the spot, they doused the fire and found Sreekumar's charred body inside the bathroom while the fully burnt bodies of Mini and Ananthalakshmi were found inside the bedroom.
The Varkala police have also reached the spot and have begun a probe. According to police, the preliminary evidence suggested that they had committed sucide owing to huge debt.
The police recovered an empty bottle of petrol near the spot. The neighbors told the police that the family was bankrupt for quite some time.
However, the police and fire force initiated a probe whether it was a suicide or an accident. Sreekumar was a building contractor, Mini was a house wide and Ananthalakshmi was a research student.
The bodies have been shifted to the morgue of the medical college hospital.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA's 24x7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance.)