Death of Wealthy Indian-Origin Family in US Ruled As Murder-Suicide: Police

The death of an Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter in the United States of Massachusetts on Thursday, 28 December, have been ruled a murder-suicide by medical authorities after autopsy.

The wealthy Kamal family, comprised of 57-year-old Rakesh Kamal, his wife Teena, 54, and their 18-year-old daughter Ariana, were found dead on 28 December evening, according to Norfolk District Attorney (DA) Michael Morrissey.

A press release issued by the office of Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey on Tuesday, 2 January, said that autopsy results issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirm that Teena and her daughter Arianna were victims of homicide by gunshot. Rakesh died from a “gunshot wound consistent with being self-inflicted”. The final autopsy report is likely to be completed in the coming weeks.

The release further said that while full forensic and ballistics testing of the gun has not been finalised, the firearm found with Rakesh is consistent with a .40 calibre Glock 22.

However, the firearm was not registered in Rakesh's name and “he was not licensed to possess it,” the release added.

The family, who is originally from India, used to run a now-defunct education systems company called EduNova in the United States.

According to initial media reports, police received a phone call around 7:30 pm on Thursday evening from a relative of the family, who had arrived to check in on them after not hearing from them for days.

According to NDTV, the three members of the Kamal family were the only ones living in the mansion at the time of the incident, and according to officials, the Dover area, about 32 km from Boston was "a nice neighbourhood, a safe community."

The family’s mansion, reportedly worth close to $5.5 million, was foreclosed in 2022, according to The Post, and reports say that the family were going through a rough financial period as well.