It was debt and poverty which led Debdulal Ghosh, a habitual gambler, to take the extreme step, said police. The other deceased have been identified as Bandana Ghosh (38), Seema (16) and Subhankar (8).

“Ghosh’s body was recovered from a field near his house this afternoon. Primary investigations have revealed that poverty and debt led to the incident,” said Bankura SP Vishal Garg.

Ghosh owned a small patch of land in the Khichka village in Taldangra. According to police, last night before dinner Ghosh laced their family dinner with poison and ate the same with his wife and children.

Around 1 am his brother Gurupada, a next door neighbour, heard groans coming from the household and rushed in only to find Bandana and the children lying on the floor in a critical condition. Ghosh was missing.

He called in other villagers and took the trio to Taldangra block primary health centre.

Seema and Subhankar died on way to the health centre while Bandana died an hour after being admitted.