Piyali, May 31: The bodies of a mason and his two young children were found on a railway track in South 24-Parganas with their heads severed this morning.

Officers said Chandreswar Mondal, 45, had been depressed since his wife left him for another man two years ago and may have decided to end his life. He probably drugged his 11-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter and laid them, too, on the tracks in the Pyarabagan area, 70km from Calcutta.

The police reached the spot, about 2km from Piyali station, this morning after being informed by villagers. They found the bodies of Chandreswar, Sunita and Mrityunjay beside one another, as if arranged in a neat row.

“The bodies were identified by residents of Piyali village. They gave us the names and an account of the family,’’ a railway police officer said. “We are looking for a man, Jiban Byapari, with whom Chandreswar’s wife may have fled to Basanti.”

Yesterday, Chandreswar had arrived at Piyali, where he used to live till a few months ago, with his children. “He chatted with us and his children roamed around. We had no inkling what was on his mind,” said Suniti Mondal, a Piyali resident.