KOCHI: A 35-year-old woman and her minor daughter were killed in a gas cylinder explosion at their apartment in Edapally in the wee hours of Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Veni, a native of Palakkad, and her six-year-old daughter Kiran. The LPG gas cylinder was kept in their bedroom.
According to Bijo Alexander, assistant city police commissioner (Thrikkakara), initial investigation points to a case of suicide.
“Veni and her live-in partner, Shibu, a bank official, were not in good terms owing to some personal issues. We suspect that the differences in their relationship led to the suicide,” he said.
The incident occurred when Mr Sibu was away from their Prashanth Nagar apartment.
Police maintained that they had to conduct further investigations so as to identify the real cause of the death.
They said the couple started live-in in 2003 when Mr Shibu, a Pathanamthitta native, was working in Palakkad. They were residing here for the past six years.
At present no complaint has been registered against Mr Shibu but the cops have not ruled out a possibility of abetment.
The police arrived at the apartment after neighbours alerted them of the blast after they heard the loud noise and noticed fumes coming out at 3 am.
Though the police rushed the woman and her daughter to a hospital they were pronounced dead.
Elamakkara SI V C Sooraj has registered a case and started investigation after taking the statement of Mr Shibu.
