Indian family of four found dead in Australia

Melbourne, May 1 (IANS) A young Indian family, including two children aged five and three, was found dead Tuesday in their home in this Australian city.

The bodies of accountant Nilesh Sharma (36), his wife Pritika (32), and children Divesh (5) and Divya (3) were found Tuesday morning in their home in a leafy Melbourne suburb Glen Waverley.

"The homicide squad has been notified and are attending with the Monash Criminal Investigation Unit," a Victoria Police spokeswoman told media.

"The circumstances of the deaths are under investigation," she added.

The investigating agencies are not reported to be looking for any suspect at this stage.

The police made the shocking discovery after they received a call from a concerned relative asking for a 'welfare check' on the young family.

According to media reports, Nilesh Sharma was found dead in the hallway while the other bodies lay in their bedrooms.

Abhay Singh, a family relative, has been quoted as saying that the couple did not have marital problems.

"It's a mystery," he said.

"I was devastated. I fell into pieces. It's very sad," he said, adding: "The kids were very amicable, well mannered, polite and well presented."

"We are all devastated. Very shaken - a whole family is destroyed."

Post-mortem examinations will be undertaken Wednesday to find out the reason behind the deaths of the Indian family which had moved to Australia from Fiji a decade back.

(Paritosh Parasher can be contacted at paritoshparasher@yahoo.com)