Indian couple kill 5-yr-old child before attempting suicide

Faced with financial difficulties, an Indian couple in Dubai killed their five-year-old daughter and then attempted to commit suicide.

Rijesh, 32, and his wife Sreesha, 30, killed their daughter Avantika and then tried to commit suicide on Saturday. While Rijesh hanged himself to death, Sreesha slit her wrist and neck but survived, police said.

"The father had hanged himself while the mother was found with slash wounds on her neck and wrist," said Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Director of Dubai Police's Criminal Investigation Department.

Following forensic investigations, the Dubai Police on Sunday confirmed Avantika was smothered with a pillow.

The middle-income family, hailing from Chakkarakkal in Kannur district of Kerala, was reportedly facing financial difficulties.

According to Mansouri, Rijesh had left two letters —- one was addressed to the father's family in which he apologised and one for the Dubai Police, explaining the reasons behind his decision to kill himself and his family.

"The second letter addressed to Dubai Police explained the motivation behind this suicide. The father wrote that they were committing suicide because of financial problems and debts. He said he had problems with his former sponsor," said Mansouri.

While the family's immediate relatives and friends have expressed shock over the unfortunate incident, others in the Indian community say they are alarmed at the rising number of suicide cases.

Meanwhile, the police said if found that the mother was involved in suffocating her daughter, she would face charges of murder as well as attempted suicide.

The case has been referred to the Public Prosecution.

Rijesh had been in the UAE for 13 years. He married Sreesha about six years back and was working as an accountant with an interior design company before moving to Panasonic about three months ago. His parents and two sisters live in India.