A fast-food vendor allegedly murdered his parents and then committed suicide himself in Juna Ganesh Nagar area on Kothariya road in Rajkot in the wee hours of Friday. Jaydeep Rathod (28), the fast-food vendor, his father Ramesh Rathod (65) and mother Manjula Rathod (55) were found dead in their rented residence in Juna Ganesh Nagar on Kotharia Road early on Friday morning. Aji Dam police said that Jaydeep slit throats of his parents and afterwards committed suicide by consuming poison. "We have recovered a suicide note in which Jaydeep has written that he had been blackmailed by four persons-Heena, Paresh, Sameer Mehta and Karan. The note mentions that the quartet had been threatening Jaydeep to frame him in a case of rape and had been extorting money. They had already extorted Rs 2.5 lakh in this manner and he was unable to pay anymore. Therefore he was ending his life. Fearing that the quartet would harass his parents also, he murdered them before committing suicide himself," Hirabhai Kuvadiya, in-charge police inspector of Aji Dam police said. Police said that Ramesh was a retired government fitter. He had two children, son Jaydeep and daughter Seema. While Jaydeep, who was unmarried, used to run a dosa joint on Hari Dhava road of the city, Seema has been married off. Seema's husband Chetan Gohel alerted police after Jaydeep did not answer his phone calls for hours beginning from Thursday evening. Police said that the double murders and suicide took place between 6:30 pm on Thursday and 5:20 am on Friday. "We have recovered a knife with which Jaydeep slit throats of his parents and also two vials which contained poison," Kuvadiya further said. Police said that Jaydeep had asked his assistant at food joint to close door of their home from outside on Thursday evening and asked him to throw the key inside home from window. Police also found a saree tied from ceiling of the home, suggesting, police said, Jaydeep could have tried to hang himself but eventually consumed poison. On the basis of a complaint filed by Chetan, Aji Dam police have booked Jaydeep for murders of his parents. "The suicide note does not specify Jaydeep's relationship with the four persons it names as blackmailers. Nor are their addresses clear. But at one point, Ahmedabad, Vejalpur has been written," Kuvadiya, who is investigating the case further said.
