Hyderabad, Nov 2 : In a shocking incident, a man in Telangana's Vikarabad district murdered three of his family members, including his wife and daughter, before committing suicide, police said on Sunday.

The incident occurred at Kulkacherla village on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Police said Vepuri Yadaiah, 38, hacked his wife Aluvelu, 32, daughter Aparna, 13, and sister-in-law Hanumamma, 40, to death with an axe when they were asleep.

His elder daughter, Apoorva, 16, escaped from the house when he tried to attack her. She sustained injuries to her head and hand.

After killing the three, Yadaiah hanged himself to death in the house.

Alerted by the locals, police reached the spot and shifted the bodies to the mortuary for a post-mortem examination.

Preliminary investigation by the police shows that a domestic dispute led to the gruesome murders and suicide.

According to police, Yadaiah and his wife had some issues last week, and they were frequently quarrelling. Village and family elders had counselled the couple to resolve the issue.

Apoorva, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital, said her father had an argument with her mother on Saturday evening. Some family members, along with village elders, called Yadaiah and pulled him up for not mending his ways.

Yadaiah's sister-in-law also came to the house to take her sister and children to her home the next day. Yadaiah, who was irked over being reprimanded by the family members and village elders, did not have dinner.

When all family members were asleep, Yadaiah attacked them with an axe. Apoorva said he first attacked their aunt, and when their mother tried to save her, he attacked her too.

After killing both their aunt and mother, he turned to his daughters and asked how they would live. Apoorva said he attacked them with the same axe. While Aparna died on the spot, Apoorva managed to escape with injuries.

A case has been registered at Kulkacherla Police Station. Police said they were conducting further investigation.

/IANS