VILLUPURAM: In a tragic incident near Villupuram, a couple killed themselves after murdering their three children. While the family's neighbours alleged financial issues to be the reason, the police are inquiring further after sending the bodies for autopsy.
According to a police source from Valavanur police station, Mohanraj(40) of Puthupalayam village near Valavanur in Villupuram district was a carpenter. He owned a wood workshop near his house and was living with his wife Vimaleswari(37) and three children -- two daughters aged ten and eight, one son aged five. He usually opens the workshop by nine in the morning, and on Monday morning, it stayed closed.
When the workshop staff came looking, the door of the house was found locked from inside. Since nobody answered his knocks, he informed the neighbours and checked inside through a window and found Mohanraj and family hanging dead from the roof. The Valavanur police station was alerted and personnel who rushed to the spot broke in and confirmed that all five were dead.
Based on the info available, Villupuram deputy superintendent of police Nallasivam came to the spot and inquired about the incident. Later, bodies were sent to Government Villupuram Medical College Hospital in Mundiyampakkam for autopsy.
Police suspect that the couple strangled the children before hanging themselves. Meantime, in the first phase of inquiry with neighbours and relatives of Mohanraj, police found that he took loans from various people. Due to lockdown, he faced loss and couldn't able to pay the interest.
Since loaners pressured him to pay the interest, he was upset and police suspect that it might have forced him to take the extreme step. However, they are inquiring further to find any other reason for his decision to end their lives.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).