The two women and a girl of the Dey family killed in Kolkata’s Tangra – murders that have rocked the city – are likely to have died at the  hands of the younger of the two brothers. The men and a boy of the family were found to have crashed in a car in a Metro Rail pillar on Eastern Metropolitan bypass area early on Wednesday.  The boy, who has now recovered, has apparently told the police that his uncle, Prasun Dey, had “killed” his mother, aunt and cousin, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting an un-named officer.

Pranay and Prasun Dey and Pranay’s son were injured in the car crash. The men later told the police that they had attempted suicide and the women were already dead in the house.

After questioning them, the police went to the house in Tangra, where they found the bodies of Pranay Dey’s wife Sudeshna Dey, Prasun Dey’s wife Romi Dey and his daughter Priyambada.

The women were found with their wrists slit. But the postmortem report indicated other injuries as well. Both had slashes on the throat and died after massive bleeding. The girl, who was 14 years old, had bruises on chest, legs, lips and head. She had also been poisoned, sources said, quoting the report.

“The circumstantial evidence also indicated that the younger brother has played a vital role in murdering two women and the girl. But there is evidence that the elder brother Pranay was very much with him in the plotting the killings,” the officer was quoted as saying by PTI.

The girl, who came to know about the plot, refused to eat the food laced with sleeping draughts and high blood pressure pills. She was beaten up and then force-fed, the police said.

“That was the reason she had several bruises around her lips and other marks due to the injuries following a beating,” he said.

After questioning the brothers, who the police said will be arrested when they are discharged from the hospital. 

The police found the family, which used to operate a tannery business, was in financial difficulties.