5 skeletons found in K'taka house, dead of same family

HOUSEHOLDS ITEMS, INCLUDING A CALENDAR FROM 2019 AND THE LAST PAID ELECTRICITY BILL, FOUND AT THE SPOT HAVE LED POLICE TO BELIEVE THAT ALL FIVE DIED IN 2019

- Coovercolly Indresh

The skeletons of five people were found inside a dilapidated house in Karnataka's Chitradurga on Thursday night, with police suspecting the deaths may have taken place in 2019 and triggering questions among investigators and neighbours about how all members of family may have died without anyone noticing.

While the cause of the deaths was yet to be ascertained, police officers said that had not ruled out suicide, with preliminary investigation suggesting that the bodies may have been lying undetected, inside the house for nearly five years.

The discovery was made by a local who ventured into the seemingly abandoned building and stumbled upon a skeleton before he tipped off a journalist, officers said.

"We received a call from the journalist at around 9pm on Thursday. Our officials rushed to the spot and found the dilapidated main door was broken," Chitradurga Superintendent of police Dharmendra Kumar Meena said.

Soon, forensics experts and personnel from the crime investigation department were called in, leading to the discovery of the four other bodies.