A grocer allegedly choked his wife and two young daughters before hanging himself at his Bhandup flat. Dinesh Jain, 25, left a suicide note in which he also admitted having killed his family. The family had appeared to be happy and Jain’s motive is not clear, police said.

Besides Jain, wife Monika and daughters Harsha (3) and Toshika (9 months), the family includes Jain’s elderly parents, his brother Jayantilal, sister-in-law Ramila and their two children, all living in a 1BHK flat at Jalaram Park,

The bodies were found by Ramila, who has been staying over at her mother’s home in Mulund for the past few days, with Jain’s parents and brother having gone to their ancestral home in Udaipur. Ramila went to the Bhandup house in the morning.

“She grew worried when neither Jain nor Monika opened the door, and called neighbours and people from their grocery. They broke in and found Jain hanging from the ceiling, and Monika and both children lying dead in the bedroom,” said DCP, Zone VIII, R M Vhatkar.

The suicide note, written in Hindi and signed by Jain, was in his account book. “I admit to killing my wife and daughters and am also ending my life. No one else is responsible for all of this. I am also sorry that I wasn’t able to serve my old parents.”

“Prima facie it appears that Jain first suffocated his wife under a pillow and also slashed her wrists. He then used a rope to strangle both girls. The rope was still around Toshika’s throat. He slashed his own wrists before hanging himself,” said Vhatkar.

The rest of Jain’s family is expected back by Saturday. “We have hardly been able to question anyone and have spoken only to Jain’s uncle, neighbours and servants. All are bewildered by the incident. They say the family was close-knit and financially sound, running a shop and leasing out two others,” said senior police inspector Vilas Shinde.

One angle the police will probe is whether Jain was under societal pressure because he had two daughters when his brother had a son.

Women wailed loudly at the courtyard of the building. “While Monika was very jovial and would interact with everyone, Jain was reserved. But the family adored their children; the younger daughter was particularly lovely,” said a neighbour.