MALAPPURAM: A woman and her three children were found hanging in their rented house at Nettikulam near Bhoothanam in Nilambur at 11.30 am on Sunday.
The deceased are Rahana, 35, wife of Vineesh of Mudhupurayidathil house and children Adithyan, 13, Arjun, 11, Abhinav, 9. The children were students of the AUP school, Nettikulam.
A rubber tapper, Vineesh was in Kozhikode when the incident took place.
The neighbours saw the four persons hanging in the house. The main door was locked from inside. They rushed into the house and, upon detecting movement in the bodies of Rahana and elder child Adithyan, rushed all four to the Nilambur district hospital nearby. However, the mother and children were declared brought dead by the hospital authorities.
Vineesh used to visit the family during leave. The family had shifted to Nettikulam from Thodumutti a year ago after their previous locality was affected in last year’s flood. The police have launched an investigation. They suspect family issue behind the incident.
“As per the preliminary probe, we suspect it is suicide. More details can be revealed only after a detailed investigation,” said an officer with Pothukal police station. However, the residents said they were unaware of any family issues that would have plagued Rahana.
“We saw them as a happy family. The police should unearth the truth behind the incident. We suspect Rahana might have committed suicide after hanging the children,” said Rajini, a ward member of Pothukal panchayat. The bodies were kept in the district hospital and the postmortem examinations will be conducted after Covid tests.
(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.)