A 37-year-old woman allegedly poisoned her three children before hanging them and taking her own life at their home in Mundlana village in Gohana, Sonepat district, police said on Sunday.
The incident reportedly took place on Saturday, but came to light around 5.30 pm when the woman's husband, a Junior Basic Training (JBT) teacher posted at Madlauda in Panipat, returned home from duty and discovered the bodies.
According to police, the bodies of the woman and her three children were found hanging in a room on the first floor of the house. The husband had initially been unable to locate his wife and children after returning home. He subsequently went upstairs, where he found all four hanging, and alerted the police.
A team from Sadar police station, accompanied by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rajeev Kumar and forensic experts, reached the house and began investigating the incident.
Suicide note recovered, police question family members
ACP Rajeev Kumar said the police were taking action on the basis of a complaint lodged by the woman's brother. A suicide note was also recovered from the scene and is being examined as part of the investigation.
Police said preliminary findings indicated that the woman had allegedly administered poison to her children before hanging them. The exact circumstances and motive behind the incident have not yet been established.
Investigators are examining the contents of the suicide note and recording statements from the woman's family members to establish what led to the deaths.
The woman's mother-in-law was away at her parental home when the incident occurred, police said. The woman, who originally belonged to Silana village in Jhajjar district, had been married for around 14 years.
The bodies were sent to Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College in Khanpur Kalan for post-mortem examinations, which were scheduled for the following day. Police said the investigation was continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.