Five members of a family were burnt to death under mysterious circumstances in their Zakir Nagar home here, police said Thursday.
Firoz, 35, who ran an embroidery stitching factory, his wife Yasmeen Parveen, 30, and their four children -- Afroz, 12, Afreen, 11, and Asif, 7 -- fell victim to a blaze that was first noticed by a neighbour when he saw smoke coming out of the house located in south Delhi in the wee hours of Thursday.
The police and the fire department were informed at about 1.30 a.m.
Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was doused in two hours. The fire fighting personnel found the house bolted from inside.
The police entered the house after breaking down the door and brought out the affected family members.
Yasmeen and her daughter Afreen were declared brought dead while Firoz and his two sons, Afroz and Asif, succumbed while undergoing treatment at the Safdarjung Hospital.
Police said their four-year-old son Amir was still undergoing treatment at the hospital where his condition remained critical.
"We have recovered an empty bottle of kerosene from the room. It seems there is some foul play behind the incident. But investigations are on from all angles," a police officer told IANS.
