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Police believe three young girls were poisoned by one or both of their parents, who also died, it emerged last night. The Asian family of five, including a five-month-old baby, were found dead in a downstairs room at their home in Southampton, Hampshire, just after midnight yesterday. Police are understood to have recovered a drugs "cocktail" and a syringe close to the bodies. There was no sign of forced entry or violence and the gas was not leaking. Post-mortem examinations revealed poison in all five bodies

The dead family was named as Mahendra Karia, 42, his wife Mayuri, 39, and daughters Chandni, four, Shrina, two and Bijal, five months. The family were said to be devout Hindus and there was speculation that the deaths may have been connected to the Hindu practice of escaping family shame by taking their own lives.