Farmer, spouse kill minor daughter, commit suicide

Mumbai: A farmer and his wife allegedly committed suicide after killing their two-year-old daughter in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, police said Tuesday. The incident, which took place in Chas village in Akole tehsil, came to light Monday evening, an official said adding that the motive behind their extreme step was not yet clear.

Pandurang Shelke (31), his wife Sonali (26) and daughter Shivanya were found hanging at their residence. The couple might have killed their daughter first by strangulating her with a rope before hanging themselves, the official said.

The incident had taken place over 30 hours before it came to light. The bodies had started decomposing by the time they were found, he said. Shelke’s house is located on his farm, at least three kilometres away from Chas village, he said.

Nobody else was at home at the time of the incident and the door of the house was locked from inside, the official said.

“A person, who had come to meet Shelke, found the window of their house open. When he peeped through it, he found all three of them hanging,” he said. “Shelke had borrowed money from a credit society. But, it would be too premature to conclude that he committed suicide over loan repayment,” the official added. The investigation into the case is on.