Nanded: A farmer, his wife and their two sons were found dead at separate locations in Maharashtra’s Nanded district on Thursday morning, in a case that police believe could be a coordinated suicide, officials said.
The bodies of Ramesh Sonaji Lakhe, 51, and his wife Radhabai Lakhe, 45, were discovered around 8 am inside their residence at Jawala Murar village in Mudkhed tehsil. The couple was found lying on a cot, raising immediate suspicion of an unnatural death.
A short while later, police recovered the bodies of their sons, Umesh Lakhe, 25, and Bajrang Lakhe, 23, from nearby railway tracks. Preliminary findings suggest that the two young men jumped in front of a speeding train, officials said.
Confirming the incident, Police Inspector Dattatray Manthale said the deaths appeared to be linked. “The parents were found dead in their house, while the sons ended their lives on the railway tracks. A forensic science laboratory team has been called to collect evidence. The exact sequence of events will be clear only after a detailed technical investigation and post-mortem examinations,” he said.
While investigators suspect a suicide pact, police have not ruled out other possibilities and said the precise circumstances leading to the deaths are still under examination. No suicide note has been recovered so far.
The Lakhe family belonged to a small-scale farming household. However, police said it is too early to conclude whether financial hardship or personal issues pushed the family to take the extreme step.
Neighbours described the family as hardworking and reserved, adding that they had been struggling with the challenges of small-land farming. The Nanded rural police are recording statements of relatives and villagers and are also searching for any final messages that could shed light on the tragedy.
