The decayed bodies of four members of a family were found at their flat in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, PTI reported. The bodies were found at the flat located in MS Mukherjee Road in Khardah area after neighbours alerted police of a foul smell emanating from the apartment.
Police said the bodies have been identified as of 52-year-old Brindaban Karmakar, a cloth merchant, his wife Debasree Karmakar, who was in her forties, their 17-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son.
As per preliminary probe, police suspect that Brindaban Karmakar killed his family members by poisoning them before taking his own life. After police reached the apartment, Karmakar's body was found hanging from the ceiling. The other three bodies were found in different places in the apartment, police said, as per the PTI reported.
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Police also found a suicide note, in which Karmakar alleged that his wife had an extra-marital affair and he could not tolerate it, prompting him to take the extreme step.
The incident came to light after the pump operator of the apartment rang the doorbell of Karmakar's flat on Sunday morning as he required a bunch of keys, a local Trinamool Congress leader told NDTV. However, there was no response.
"He kept ringing the doorbell but nobody answered. He also noticed a stench and informed the local councillor who alerted the police. Police broke open the door and found the four bodies," the leader said.
He further said he had met the family a day after Kali Puja and had no idea of the reason behind the murders, NDTV reported. "This incident has shocked people of the neighbourhood," he told NDTV.
The forensic team has visited the spot and further investigation is under process, a police officer said.