Indian-origin family found dead in Britain

An Indian-origin family of four has been found dead in Britain. Police suspect the father killed his wife and twin daughters before committing suicide, according to media reports.

Pullarkattil Rethishkumar, 44, was found hangied in a forest near Woodford in northeast London on Wednesday morning, while his wife Shighi, 37, and daughters Niya and Neha, 13, were found dead at the family's home in Essex county on Tuesday, Mail Online reported on Wednesday.

An alarm was raised on Monday by the teachers of the twins when they failed to turn up at their school. On Tuesday, police forcibly entered the family's ground-floor flat on Grove Road, Chadwell Heath, only to find the girls and their mother dead. No visible sign of injuries on the bodies were found.

On Wednesday, the body of Rethishkumar, who worked for Redbridge Council's culture and leisure services, was found hanged beside a Walthamstow reservoir, some 15 km from the family home.

Media reports said Rethishkumar's wife worked as a social worker.

Neighbours said the family had moved from Kerala to Britain about eight years ago. The two girls were students at the Chadwell Heath Academy. They were last seen in their locality on Sunday.

A Scotland Yard spokesperson said that officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.