It is learnt that it was the mother-in-law who discovered the man’s body along with those of her three grandchildren.
- The 3 children believed to have been suffocated with a pillow
- Wife also hanged herself in the same room 20 days ago
- The man said to have been harassed by loan sharks
About 100 close family members and friends paid their last respects at their rented house at Perdana Heights in Sungai Petani today.
K Sivarau, 48, was found hanged in a bedroom on the upper floor of the double-storey house yesterday.
His two sons – S Sashvin Rau, 6, and S Raghu Ram Rau, 5 – and eight-year-old daughter S Yakima Sri, were also found dead on a bed in the same room, and are believed to have died after being suffocated by a pillow.
The four were believed to have died about 12 hours before their bodies were found by Sivarau’s mother-in-law at about 1.30pm.
The incident came about 20 days after Sivarau’s wife V Kamini, 39, hanged herself in the same room.
Police believe he had been suffering from financial problems.
State CID chief Senior Asst Comm Mior Farid Alathrash Wahid, said in a statement, “The postmortem report indicates the cause of death of the man is compression of the neck by hanging.
“The cause of death of the three children is still pending laboratory analysis.
“It is believed their faces were covered by a soft object, such as a pillow,” he said, adding that the investigation paper will be under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
The Star reported that Sivarau’s youngest brother, K Loagansrau 38, said he does not believe his brother was facing any financial problems.
“I last met him a month ago at my sister’s house nearby, and he seemed normal,” he said.
“But I have no idea whether he had taken any loans,” he was quoted as saying.
Sivarau’s mother-in-law S Punita, 60, said the death of the four was too much for her to bear as she was still grieving the death of her daughter, according to a New Straits Times report.
Punita said she last saw the four during dinner on Sunday and they went upstairs to sleep at about 10pm.
The elderly woman said she was awakened by the sound of her granddaughter crying but did not suspect anything amiss.
“I woke up at 8am today but did not see any of them so when they failed to show up for lunch I went up and knocked on their door.
“I opened the door to find their lifeless bodies and immediately notified my granddaughter’s school teacher who later called the police,” Punita was reported as saying.
Punita reportedly said since several days ago she noticed Sivarau acting restless and anxious and assumed that he was sad after losing his wife.
The funeral ceremony and prayers for the four began at 11am, and their bodies will be buried at the cemetery at the Sri Subramaniam Temple at Jalan Badlishah.
Earlier report: Nov 21, Man Suspected of Killing His Children Before Committing Suicide