By IANS,
Hyderabad : Four members of a family were found murdered at a lodge here Saturday, police said.
According to police, a couple and their two children were found dead in two rooms of The RAK Royal Lodge near Secunderabad railway station.
The dead have been identified as K. Prasad, 40, his wife K. Vijayalaxmi, 35, and their children K. Kavita, 10, and K. Chetan, 9.
The family, hailing from East Godavari district in coastal Andhra Pradesh, had last week arrived from Dubai, where he was working as an engineer in a private firm. They were scheduled to return in couple of days.
The killings came to light when the lodge staff grew suspicious as a foul smell was emanating from the rooms, which were locked from outside.
The lodge manager alerted police, who broke open the doors.
While Prasad was found lying dead on the floor in one room, his wife and two children were found dead on cots in another room. Prasad also had a head injury. The bodies have been sent for autopsy.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner Prasad Rao, who visited the crime scene, told reporters that it was a suspected case of murder and that police were on the lookout for five people who were staying in an adjoining room.
Police suspect that the killers were relatives of the couple and have formed special teams to track them down. They also suspect that property dispute could be the motive for the killings.
Police officials also questioned some employees of the lodge. The employees said one man and two other couples checked in Thursday and stayed in a room adjacent to the rooms of the victims.
The employees told police that Prasad and his family members also checked in the same day, but the next day, the other five people checked out.
Prasad’s relatives in Vijayawada said his family had arrived in Rajhamundry Aug 17 for Vijayalaxmi’s treatment. They left for Hyderabad Wednesday and were scheduled to return to Dubai next week.