The man murdered them with an axe, a senior police official said. (Representational)
An elderly man allegedly murdered four of his family members in Mayur Vihar in Ludhiana district, police said on Tuesday.
"The accused has left behind a note disclosing the reason behind his actions. He has run away. The efforts are on to nab him. A probe is underway," Police Commissioner Rakesh Aggarwal said.
The incident took place at Mayur Vihar Welfare Society at Hambran Road.
"An elderly man has allegedly murdered four of his family members including a 13-year-old. The man murdered them with an axe. The cause of this murder is unknown. It seems that the man murdered them because of a family dispute. He was planning to commit suicide as well. But before he could do so, he feared some locals had arrived and fled from the spot," the senior police official said.
"We have formed teams to arrest the killer. A suicide note has also been recovered from the spot. The note highlights that prevailing family tensions is the reason why he attempted to murder them. While he was attempting to escape, his car caught fire. He managed to escape the fire", he added.