A couple committed suicide on Tuesday in the premises of a government institute in south-west Delhi after the woman's niece accused him of having raped her for the last four years.

Naresh Pal (46) and Gita (40) consumed poison in their staff quarters in the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, in Inderpuri area, police sources said. Pal worked as a driver in the institute.

Their bodies were found this morning by some persons to whom they had sublet a room.

• 'Doctor's testimony not essential in a rape case'

Gita's 17-year-old niece had alleged on Monday that Naresh had repeatedly raped her over the last four years. She claimed her father and brother knew about this but Naresh beat up the boy whenever he tried to intervene.

Naresh had left behind a suicide note in which he said that he and his wife had taken the extreme step because he was wrongly accused of rape, the sources said. A senior police official said they were still investigating whether it was a case of rape.

Meanwhile, the statement of the girl was recorded in a Delhi court today. Metropolitan Magistrate Anuradha Shukla, who recorded the statement, allowed the prosecution 15 days' time to file the post-mortem report.