A man with mental health issues allegedly killed his wife and three daughters with a hoe, an agricultural tool, in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district, the police said on Thursday.
The incident took place on the night of July 31 at Devri village under Pantora police post but it came to light on Wednesday following which the suspect, identified as Deshraj Kashyap, was arrested, Janjgir-Champa Superintendent of Police Vijay Agrawal said.
The deceased were identified as Mongra Bai (40) and Puja, alias Kalyani (16), Bhagya Lakshmi (10) and Yachna (6), he said.
As per preliminary information, Kashyap lived with mental health problems and had been undergoing treatment for the last 10 years, he said.
Kashyap returned home on July 31 after visiting a doctor in neighbouring Bilaspur district. The same night, he allegedly killed his wife and three daughters with a hoe and left the house after locking the gate from outside, he said.
Suspecting something was fishy as no one from the family was seen in the house for two days, the village head informed the police on Wednesday. The police found four bodies in the house and shifted them for post-mortem, he said.
The exact reason for the murders is yet to be ascertained, said the official, adding a case has been registered against Kashyap.