A 51-year-old woman, along with her 25-year-old son and 23-year-old daughter, allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticides in the Masterpada area of Sohela block in Odisha’s Bargarh district on Sunday.

While the siblings died on Sunday, the mother passed away on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Kumudini Sahu, her son Bansidhar and her daughter Subarna. The only surviving member of the family now is the two-year-old granddaughter of Kumudini who was found crying outside the house by the villagers.

Subarna, along with her two-year-old daughter, used to stay with Kumudini after her husband left her and that became a source of tension for the family. Kumudini’s husband Arjun Sahu, who had held the family together, passed away on September 6 following chronic illness. It caused severe mental stress to the family.

Fellow villagers said Kumudini and her wards tried to commit suicide on Saturday. But they failed as their neighbours were with them throughout the day and tried to console them. However, the family members committed suicide on Sunday.

They locked the door of their house from inside and consumed pesticides around 11am on Sunday.

Upon hearing the cries of the two-year-old granddaughter of Kumudini outside the house, the neighbours rushed to the spot.

When they peeped into the house through the window, they found Kumudini and her children lying on the floor and vomiting. They informed the police and broke down the door. All three were rushed to the hospital in a serious condition. While Subarna and her brother died on Sunday, Kumudini passed away on Monday. Their bodies were cremated on Monday following a post-mortem. The neighbours are taking care of the granddaughter of Kumudini.

Subdivisional police officer Bibhuti Bhoi said: “We are investigating the case on the issue that prompted them to take such an extreme step.”

Friends killed

Two friends were killed when their car collided head-on with a mini truck in Odisha’s Nayagarh district, police said on Monday, reports PTI.

The accident occurred on Sunday night near Mahipur village under the Nayagarh police station limits, a senior officer said.

The two friends, identified as Sidhartha Sankar Bhoi of Tikabali town and Dharmendra Behera of Gumagarh village of Kandhamal district, died on the spot, he said.