A mum and her four daughters have been found dead inside a hotel room.
Police in Lucknow, India fear the mum was murdered by her son on New Year’s Eve. The killing, which unfolded at Hotel Sharanjit in Naka area of the city, is believed to have followed a heated row.
The victims have been named as Alia, nine, Alshia, 19, Aksa, 16, Rahmeen 18, and their mother Asma. Officers who found the five bodies said their clothes were soaked in blood. A 24-year-old man named only as Arshad has been arrested, while his dad Badar remains on the run.
The family had been staying at the hotel since December 30.
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Ashad is reported to have recorded a video after the killing, in which he claimed that a group of men were interested in their family property in Agra and were planning to sell his sisters in the city of Hyderabad. In the footage, the son claimed he killed his mothers and sisters out of fear for his family’s safety.
He described the men as part of a “land mafia” and alleged that they “intended to sell our sisters and frame him and his father in a bogus case.” Arshad said: “That was not what we wanted. I was so compelled to slit my sisters’ wrists and choke them to death.” Arshad also suggested that a temple be built on their property and that their possessions be given to an orphanage. He added: “My father and I killed them. What was my option? observe them being offered for sale in Hyderabad?”
Police sources said they believe that the family members were given drugs and alcohol in the moments before they were killed. Deputy Commissioner of Police Raveena Tyagi said: “The accused, identified as Arshad (24), allegedly killed five members of his own family. Following the gruesome act, the local police promptly apprehended the accused from the crime scene.”
Police apprehended the son at the hotel. A forensic team has since secured the crime scene and collected DNA samples for analysis.
Joint Commissioner of Police Babloo Kumar explained that inquiries were “being conducted with nearby hotel staff” and added: “Regarding the bodies recovered, some show signs of injuries – on the wrist of one, on the neck of another. Based on these marks, statements from witnesses and the post-mortem report, we are conducting a detailed investigation into the matter.”