TIRUCHY: A 60-year-old fisherman murdered his wife and son following a prolonged family dispute and later hanged himself at their residence at Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai on Saturday.

The police identified the deceased as K Jalendran (60), a fisherman from Tirumullaivasal hamlet near Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai. According to the police, he had frequently quarrelled with his wife Malar Selvi (55) over a prolonged family issue.

On Saturday morning, the door of Jalendran's house remained closed for a long time, and the neighbours found that his house was locked from inside. The neighbours, who grew suspicious, forcibly broke open the windows and found Jalendran dead, hanging from the ceiling. They also found Jalendran’s wife, Malar Selvi and son Athigunan (24) lying dead in a pool of blood. Soon, the neighbours passed on the information to the Sirkazhi police, who rushed to the spot, retrieved the bodies and sent them to Sirkazhi GH.

The initial investigation found that Jalendran picked up a quarrel with his wife in the late hours of Friday, which lasted for several hours. Suddenly, Jalendran, who lost control, had reportedly picked up a metal rod and hit his wife, Malar Selvi, in which she sustained severe injuries and fell unconscious.

On seeing his mother falling, Athigunan attempted to rescue her, but Jalendran attacked him, and he too sustained severe head injuries and fell dead.

After realising that he had killed his wife and son, Jalendran, out of frustration, hanged himself and died. On information, the SP Bhukya Sneha Priya visited the spot and conducted an inquiry. Further investigations are on.