Man Sets Vehicle Carrying Wife, 2 Children On Fire Before Killing Himself

In a case of double-murder suicide in India, a man set fire to his vehicle with his wife and two children inside it, before killing himself.

The incident took place Thursday in the southern state of Kerala. The accused, who was identified only as Muhammad, died by setting himself on fire.

The man's wife, identified as Jasmin, and one of their children died in the incident. Another child -- the couple's 5-year-old daughter -- was rushed to the hospital with severe burns, and was said to be in a critical condition.

The couple had been visiting the woman's maternal home for Eid-al-Fitr celebrations when the incident took place. It remains unclear if Muhammad had hatched the plan of the murder-suicide before arriving at his in-laws' residence.

A team of local police rushed to the spot after getting information from the locals, Times Now reported, adding an investigation was underway.

Locals said the reason behind Muhammad's extreme step could likely be the constant quarrel between the couple over dowry and rising debts. However, the reason behind his actions was yet to be confirmed. The police are yet to release an official statement behind his motive.

Before the incident, Muhammed had reportedly promised his daughter he would buy her a toffee if she boarded the van with him, local media outlet Mathrubhumi reported. He had parked the vehicle very close to his house.

His wife, who felt suspicious of Muhammed's behavior, even contacted her sister by phone after getting trapped inside the vehicle. However, by the time her sister arrived at the scene, Muhammed had already set the van ablaze.

Last month, a mother and son in the state of Chhattisgarh, who were both suffering from an illness, died by suicide due to financial problems. Krishna Bai Manikpuri, 45, and her son, Ashok Das, 21, were found hanging from the ceiling of a room in their home. Manikpuri's husband, Prem Das, discovered the two after he peeped through a window with the help of some neighbors, according to the station house officer. No suicide note was found at the scene of the deaths, but media reports suggested the financial troubles and the father's illness added to their troubles.