6 of family found dead in separate houses in Jammu

Jammu: Six members of a family were found dead in two separate houses here in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. Prima facie, it appears that they were poisoned, they said.

Noor Ul Habib, Sajad Ahmad Magrey, Sakina Begum and her daughter Naseema Akhter were found dead inside Habib's house in the posh Tawi Vihar locality of Sidhra. The bodies of Rubina Bano and her brother Zafar Salim were recovered from a nearby house, the police said.

A four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sanjay Sharma has been formed to investigate the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police (Jammu) Chandan Kohli said.

A police spokesperson said a call was received from Habib's sister Shahzada, a resident of Srinagar's Barzulla locality, wherein she expressed apprehension that her brother might have committed suicide as he was not answering her calls.

After reaching Habib's house, police found it bolted from inside and noticed a foul smell emanating from it, he said.

The doors of the house were broken down and four semi-decomposed bodies were found inside, he said.

The locals informed police that a house nearby belongs to a relative of the family, Gulam Husain. When the police reached the other house, they found two more bodies there, the spokesperson said.

Prima facie, it appears to be a case of poisoning. It is being ascertained whether it is a case of forced poisoning, he said.

SSP Kohli also rushed to the spot and ordered a thorough probe into the incident.

The bodies have been shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital here for a post-mortem examination, Kohli said.