A day after the post-mortem examinations of two women and a teenage girl, who were found dead in their Kolkata home, confirmed that they were murdered, the police are now trying to identify those involved and the motive behind the crime, an officer said on Friday.
The investigators are also probing the possible involvement of the two women's husbands, who are siblings, or outsiders, he said.
"The post-mortem reports suggested that the two women and the girl were killed and the findings raised questions about who was behind the crime. We are trying to find out whether the husbands killed their wives and the girl or if others from outside the family were involved in the murders," the officer said.
The autopsy conducted on the bodies of the two women, with wrists slit and deep injury marks on their throats, suggested that they died due to the effect of the injuries which were ante-mortem in nature. The minor girl died due to poisoning, the officer said.
Two brothers -- Pranay and Prasun Dey -- lived in that house in Tangra area with their wives Sudeshna and Romi, respectively. Pranay's son and Prasun's daughter were the other occupants of the house.
The three members of the family were found dead inside their Tangra residence, while three others were injured after their car crashed into a Metro Rail pillar in the city on early Wednesday. One of the injured persons told the police about the deaths in their family.
The brothers had, earlier, claimed to the police that there was a suicide pact among the family members following which all consumed porridge laced with sleeping pills, the officer said.
"It seems that they were trying to mislead us. They were trying to hide something. We need to question them. Once they are declared fit enough to talk, our officers will start questioning them," he said.
The health conditions of the two brothers and the boy who were injured in the accident were stated to have improved, the policeman said.
"The two brothers may be shifted from the ICU of a hospital but the boy may continue to be in the intensive care unit. They will, however, not be discharged now. The doctors will review their conditions and take a call," he added.
A team of police would talk to the doctors to find out what would be the "appropriate time" for them to talk to the brothers.
The forensic team of Kolkata Police have collected samples from the bathroom, the washbasin, and rooms from where the bodies of the two women -- Sudeshna and Romi Dey --- and the girl were found, he said.
The police also collected footage of CCTVs installed in the Tangra house, he said, adding that "this footage will be very crucial to understand their activities before the crime occurred. We will be able to record who came to their house and what were their roles with the family in the last one week or so."
Investigators of the Kolkata police were trying to find out details of the route of the car that was involved in the accident on February 19, the officer said.
The police had seized a bunch of 12 keys, most of them were of their Tangra residence, one bloodstained blue button from the backseat of the car and several blood marks from inside the car, he added.
"The brothers came out of their house during midnight and the accident took place around 3.15 am at a place which is not far away from their place. The car covered some distance in the city but we need to have more information regarding the vehicle's speed, and its route," he said.
Sleuths of the Kolkata police found that the vehicle had no "mechanical glitch" that led to the accident near Abhisikta Metro in the southern part of the city, the officer said.
The sleuths have found that the family has a tannery business and has been in financial difficulties.