In a shocking incident, a prominent fast-food restaurant owner in Latur allegedly hanged his 6-year-old daughter and then hanged himself at their home in the Motinagar area, police officials said on Wednesday.
The deceased restaurateur has been identified as Abhay Bhutada, 35, who lived in a rental home with his wife and their minor daughter on the second floor of the Ramkashi Building.
According to police, around 9am on Wednesday, his wife had gone to meet her parents, and Bhutada left the restaurant, saying he had to go home and serve breakfast to their daughter before dropping her off at school.
Upon reaching home, Bhutada allegedly hanged his daughter using a bedsheet and then hanged himself from a ceiling fan in a similar manner.
Meanwhile, his wife and other relatives living in the vicinity were calling him constantly on the mobile phone, but he did not answer, sparking suspicions. They rushed to the home and discovered the bodies of the father-daughter and summoned the Gandhi Chowk Police Station, which rushed a team there, retrieved the bodies, and sent them for an autopsy.
Assistant Police Inspector Ashok Ujagare told media persons that, as per preliminary investigations and inquiries with the neighbours, there was nobody else at home when the tragedy occurred.
The police are trying to ascertain the motives behind the extreme step, whether financial issues, business, or domestic problems, questioning relatives, and investigating the case from different angles.
