In a shocking incident, a 45-year-old farmer allegedly killed two teenage boys with a sharp-edged weapon and then set his own house on fire, killing himself, his wife, and their two minor daughters. The incident took place at Teparha village in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday. Police said they suspect that the farmer, identified as Vijay Maurya, could be suffering from mental health issues, but added that things would become clear “after a thorough investigation”. “We are collecting details about the case and its possible motive,” Inspector General (Devipatan Range) Amit Pathak said. According to the police, they received information of a pucca house on fire with women and children crying for help from inside. When the police team reached, they found villagers trying to douse the fire. Soon, fire tenders reached the spot and brought the blaze under control. They found the bodies of two boys lying in the courtyard of the house. “In the preliminary inquiry, it was found that Vijay Maurya had hired three boys, all under 15 years, to work in his field on Wednesday morning. An hour later, he sent one of them to bring some wood. In the meantime, the two boys reportedly refused to work, saying they had household chores to complete as it was the last day of Navratri. Angered by this, Vijay killed both with a sharp weapon in the courtyard of his house,” said a police officer, adding they are recording the statement of the third boy. “After killing the two boys, Vijay took his wife, two daughters – aged 6 and 8 – to a room. He also brought in his cattle inside before locking the room and setting it on fire,” said the police officer. Diesel may have been used to fuel the blaze, police said. A tractor owned by the family, parked near the house, also got destroyed in the fire, they added. “The post-mortem is being conducted on the six bodies. The report will tell us the cause of their death,” said a police officer.
