At least five young people were hacked to death in their house in Punjab's Moga district on Thursday, police said. The suspected killer, a 'granthi' (Sikh religious preacher), was also found dead under mysterious circumstances.
Police said they were investigating various angles, including tantric activity, behind the crime.
The victims, including two women and a minor boy, were aged between 15 and 23 years. They were residents of Kotla Mehar Singh Wala village near Baghapurana town, nearly 200 km from here.
Police officials investigating the incident said the granthi, who had gone to the house for some religious ceremony on Wednesday night, could have hacked them to death with a sharp-edged weapon.
However, police were also suspecting that the granthi was indulging in some tantric activity which went awry and left six people dead.
"We are investigating the crime from all angles. We will soon know what led to the murders," Deputy Inspector General (DIG) A.S. Chahal told the media at the crime spot.
The body of the granthi, Harinder Pal Singh, aged about 80 years, was found lying nearby along with the sharp-edged weapon and some poison tablets. The granthi used to live in the village gurdwara.
The victims were identified as Sandeep Kaur, 20; Raj Pal Kaur, 23 (both women); Dharmender Singh, 18; Akashdeep Singh, 15, and Soni Singh, 20.
Police said they were investigating as to how no one else in the house came to know of the gruesome murders till the bodies were found on Thursday.
