Hyderabad: Chandrasekhar Reddy had quit his job as a junior lecturer five months ago and since then the family’s financial struggles have been mounting. In a purported suicide note which police recovered from their rented home, 44-year-old Reddy gave a graphic account of how they had fallen on bad times, leading to the couple killing their two children before taking their own lives on Monday.
A day after Reddy, his wife and two children were found dead in their Habsiguda home, initial investigation by police indicates that the couple took the extreme step due to financial problems. Osmania University police investigating the case has sent the letter for forensic examination.
“It is suspected that they poisoned their son and throttled their daughter before hanging themselves on Monday night,” said a cop on Tuesday.
Both children were minors, with the boy studying in class 5 and the girl in class 9. The family hailed from Wanaparthy district and had shifted to Hyderabad for work.
A graduate in chemistry, Reddy had earlier tested his luck in real estate a decade ago, but ran into losses. Later, on the advice of a relative, he began working in a private college as a lecturer.
“After quitting his job five months ago, he was literally confined to his home and did nothing,” said a cop.
On Monday morning, his wife Kavitha spoke to her mother who said she sounded dull. Later in the evening, when her mother tried to reach out to Kavitha, there was no response.
“We did not expect them to do this. We had even given them a big amount recently to settle some of their dues. Had we known that they were facing such a deep financial crisis, we would have certainly helped them,” Kavitha’s father said.
A month ago, the couple along with their children had actively participated in Reddy’s nephew’s wedding in their native village. “They stayed at our home for a few days before returning to Hyderabad,” Kavitha’s father said.
Police have registered a case under section 194 of the BNS.
“Based on the post-mortem examination report and other evidence, the investigation will proceed,” DCP (East Zone) B Bala Swamy told TOI.
