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Bodies of five members of a family were found in a locked house in Indian city of Allahabad. In this image, a policeman writes notes in the house where the bodies of eleven members of a family were found dead in Burari, in the Indian city of New Delhi, July 1, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

Dead bodies of five members of a family were found in a locked house in Indian city of Allahabad on Monday. A man was found hanging from a ceiling fan while his wife’s body was found cramped in the fridge. The bodies of their daughters were found in wardrobe, suitcase and another room.

The police had reached the house after neighbors informed them the family members were not seen outside for a long time. The house was bolted from inside due to which the police had to break into the home.

Police believe the man, 35-year-old Manoj Kushwaha, murdered his wife and three daughters, and later killed himself. However, the investigation is underway. The man was reportedly suffering from depression because of a conflict with his family members.

The authorities also suspect the family was killed either due to the man’s suspicion that his wife was having an affair or due to a dispute.

In a similar incident last month, a family of six was found dead in the Indian state of Jharkhand. According to reports, two bodies were found hanging, while two others were found lying with their throats slit. One person was pushed from the roof of the apartment and a baby was allegedly poisoned.

"Three suicide notes and a power of attorney have been found. It will be investigated. In one of the notes they have written that they pushed their son off the terrace as they couldn't hang him," the police said, local television station NDTV reported.

A suicide note also revealed the family was deep in debt and there was no way they could repay, which could be the reason the drastic step was taken.

"We are investigating the case from both suicide and murder angles. A forensic team is collecting samples to find out the cause of the deaths," a senior police officer said.

In another incident in July, 11 members of a family were found dead in India's capital New Delhi. While 10 of them were hanging blindfolded with mouths tapped from an iron grill ceiling, one was found strangled in another room.

The motive was provided after the police found notes at the residence speaking about strange religious beliefs including detailed instructions about how hangings should be conducted.

"The human body is temporary and one can overcome fear by covering their eyes and mouth," one of the notes said.

"The notes say if a group of 11 people follows these rituals, all problems would ease out and they would attain salvation. Some notes have dates on which they were written while others didn't have it. All the notes talk about reaching the end and gaining peace," a senior officer investigating the incident said.

The family dog which was found alive in the terrace died at an animal shelter a few days later due to "shock."