Calcutta, May 17: Sixty-one-year-old Asha Basu and son Anirban were found hanging from ceiling fans by husband Arup this morning when he returned from his walk.

Asha’s suicide note, found in her Kasba home, said she was taking her life as she was ill and in pain and that she was taking her son with her. She also wrote that her husband should not be harassed for their death. In the “next life, if at all there is such a thing”, Asha wrote, she would like to meet and marry Arup again.

While the reason for Asha’s suicide seems to have been her failing health — she suffered from arthritis and osteoporosis — police are not sure why her 31-year-old son agreed to die with her.

Arup said Anirban was frustrated for not having a steady job after graduation. He was into a small business with a cousin of supplying building materials.

“He was an introvert and confided only in his mother,” the 65-year-old retired man who earlier worked in Punjab National Bank, said.

“I had never teased or scolded him for not having a steady job. My wife was suffering from arthritis and osteoporosis and she was under treatment. But I could never imagine that they would take their lives.” he said.

Arup said yesterday they all had dinner together. “Even this morning, all of us had tea. After that I went out for a walk and also to buy milk. When I returned, I found my wife and son hanging,” he said.

The police have sent the bodies for post-mortem.