Five members of a family die in Tirupati district

Tragedy struck Venkatakrishnapalem village of Narayanavanam mandal in Tirupati district as five members of a family lost their lives within a span of few hours. Originally a case of two murders by Wednesday evening, the number rose to five on Thursday, the police said.

According to the police, Mohan (42), running a cement outlet in Puttur town, allegedly killed his own mother Chandrakala and wife Haritha by strangulating them with a towel on Wednesday. Later, he was alleged to have taken his son Koushik and daughter Harini from their school, causing panic among relatives and neighbours regarding the children’s safety, given his mental condition, the police added.