A 35-year-old man accused of killing his wife and four children in Wazirpur village earlier this week was arrested from a city hospital after undergoing treatment for self-inflicted injuries, police said on Tuesday.
The accused, a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, had attempted to die by suicide on May 2. An FIR was registered under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Sector-10A police station on the same day.
Police said he was discharged from hospital on Monday and immediately taken into custody. He has since been produced before a court and remanded to police custody for questioning.
According to investigators, the bodies of his 31-year-old wife and their four children—three daughters and a son aged between six and 13—were found inside their rented accommodation in Wazirpur. The family had been living there for the past few months. Police teams, along with forensic and fingerprint experts, inspected the scene before sending the bodies for post-mortem examination.
Preliminary findings suggest that the victims were first given a cold drink laced with pesticide and were later strangled. Investigators said froth was seen near the mouths of the deceased and marks were found on their necks.
The incident was reported to the police by neighbours. Initial reports indicated that the accused had also attempted to end his life after the killings.
During questioning, the accused told police that he worked at a salon in Gurugram and had been facing financial distress. He also admitted to frequent domestic disputes with his wife. On the day of the incident, an argument allegedly escalated, following which he carried out the killings, police said. Further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and corroborate the accused’s statements, police said.
