Gujarat: Role of victims’ dead cousin being probed

VADODARA: Investigations into the murder of six people of a family at Tarakda Mahudi village of Sanjeli taluka in Dahod district point to the possibility of involvement of cousin of one of the murder victims. The cousin was earlier found dead on railway tracks near Morbi.
Six people of a family were found murdered on Friday morning in a dwelling in Tarakda Mahudi. The victims included Bharat Palas, his wife Sami, their daughter and three sons.On Thursday night, body of Bharat’s cousin Vikram Palas (22) was found on railway tracks near Morbi.
The mass murders at Tarakda Mahudi had come to light when sarpanch of the village Mahendra Palas went to the house of the victims in the morning to inform them about the death of Vikram. Mahendra was informed by Sanjeli police about Vikram’s death.
Dahod superintendent of police Hitesh Joysar said possibility of Vikram’s involvement was there. “However, we are yet to reach a conclusion in this regard,” he said.
Sources said a possibility was that the murder may have taken place on Wednesday night. If Vikram was involved in the incident, he could have committed the crime and then reached Morbi by Thursday night. The manner in which the murders had been committed and the condition of the bodies reveal they were attacked after they had slept. The bodies were found in cots when the sarpanch reached the dwelling.
The bodies of the six murder victims were claimed by their relatives on Saturday. They were buried as per tradition of the sect in which the family had faith.