The three members of the family were found dead inside their Tangra residence, while three others were injured when their car crashed into a Metro Rail pillar in the city early on Wednesday. One of the injured persons informed the police about the deaths in their family.
The two brothers – Pranay and Prasun Dey – lived in the house in eastern Kolkata with their wives, Sudeshna and Romi, respectively. Pranay’s son and Prasun’s daughter were also living in the house. The three injured individuals have been receiving treatment in a hospital.
“The brothers will be arrested once they are discharged from the hospital. We are in touch with the hospital authorities. One arrest is likely to be made on Saturday,” the officer told news agency PTI. One of the brothers, whose condition has improved enough to be discharged from the hospital, will likely be held, the officer said.
The post-mortem reports have raised questions about the perpetrators of the crime, and Kolkata Police are trying to identify those involved and determine the motive behind the murders. “We are trying to find out whether the husbands killed their wives and the girl or if others from outside the family were involved in the murders,” the officer said.
Earlier, the brothers had claimed that there was a suicide pact among the family members, with everyone consuming porridge laced with sleeping pills. However, the autopsy on the bodies of the two women, who had slit wrists and deep injuries on their throats, suggested they died from injuries that were “ante-mortem in nature.” The minor girl reportedly died due to poisoning.
“It seems that they (the brothers) were trying to mislead us. They were trying to hide something. We need to question them,” the officer said.
The health conditions of the two brothers and the boy, who were injured in the accident, have reportedly improved. The forensic team of Kolkata Police has collected samples from the bathroom, washbasin, and rooms where the bodies of the two women and the girl were found, the officer confirmed.