MAPUSA
In a bone-chilling incident, a man is believed to have committed suicide after allegedly killing his two minor children at Orda in Candolim.
Joy Fernandes (47) was found hanging in the woods behind his house early Sunday morning, while his 13-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son were found dead, apparently strangulated to death, inside the house late Saturday evening.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem even as the police have registered a case of unnatural death and are investigating further.
“Two children and father have died. What triggered off the incident is still under investigation and it is not proper for us to draw a conclusion at this juncture. Based on forensic findings and evidence available we will be able to come to some conclusion,” said Bosco George, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), who visited the place of crime on Sunday morning.
Police informed that the incident took place between 12 noon and 10 pm on Saturday.
The mother of the children was not at home as she was reportedly attending a wedding ceremony in the village.
Sources close to the family of the deceased informed that the mother after returning from the wedding found the door locked from inside and therefore tried to call her husband on the mobile phone.
As her repeated calls went unanswered she reportedly alerted the neighbours who then broke open the back door of the house and found the two children unconscious on the floor.
The Calangute Police were informed about the incident at around 10.30 pm.
The two children were rushed to the Candolim primary health centre where they were declared brought dead.
The Police then began searching for the children’s father who was untraceable till late in the night.
On Sunday morning, the man’s body was found hanging from a tree behind their house, police informed.
The North Goa SP, Nidhin Valsan said that prima facie, it looks like the father has killed the children and then committed suicide.
He said the investigation was going on.
