RANCHI: Seven members of a family, including two children below five years of age, were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Arsande colony under the Kanke police station in Ranchi on Monday morning. The deceased are retired railways employee Sachidanand Jha (61), his wife Gayatri Devi, their sons Deepak (38) and Rupesh (27), Deepak's wife Soni (33) and their children Drishti (5 years) and Jangu (1.5 year).Police have found two suicide notes that cites family's financial and health problems as the reasons for the extreme step. Police have launched an investigation under Ranchi SSP Anish Gupta. The incident, which sent shock across the state capital, took place within a fortnight of the alleged suicide by six members of a family in Bodom Bazaar in Hazaribag on July 15.A team of senior police officers under Ranchi DIG Amol Vinukant Homkar, Ranchi SSP Anish Gupta, Ranchi SP (rural) Ajit Dungdung, reached the house where the family was staying on rent since January this year. Deepak and Rupesh were found hanging from the ceiling while others were found lying on the floor.Speaking to media persons, Homkar said: "Preliminary investigations hint that Deepak and Rupesh killed the others before hanging themselves to death. They probably killed the two children and their father by strangulating them. A sharp weapon was used to kill Gayatri Devi."Homkar said police found two suicide notes written by Deepak and Rupesh. "A 15-page suicide note was written by Deepak and a two-page note by Rupesh. Both mentioned that the family was in acute financial crisis and indebted to many. They were having a hard time arranging essentials like milk for the children and paying their school fees," he added. He said police will also probe possible murder and other angles in the case. A medical board will perform the autopsy on camera.Neighbours, who said the family was decent and introvert, said they were going through financial hardships after Deepak's son Jangu developed a medical problem in his brain. "They spent more than Rs 10 lakh for Jangu's treatment and took a loan of Rs 70,000 from me recently," Savitri Devi , wife of Alakh Narayan Mishra, who rented out his ground floor to the family in January, said.Others said the family seemed normal and talked about their plans to visit Pahari Mandir temple on Monday. "There was no response from the house when the school bus came to pick Drishti. My son, who plays with Drishti, went to call her. He came back running saying that he saw a person hanging from the roof," said Usha Pandey who lives on rent next to the family in the same building. The neighbours then called Mishra, an ex-army man, who then informed the police.A former resident of Munger in Bihar , Sacchidanad retired in January from railways.

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