A middle-aged man allegedly shot dead his youngest brother's wife and then turned the gun on himself on Friday morning. There were others in the house but, strangely, nobody heard a thing and it was the neighbours who called the police.

The incident took place around 7am in upscale Nehru Nagar, which falls under the jurisdiction of Pataliputra police station.

Police sources said Manish Kumar (40) was seething with rage for the past few days following regular taunts from his brother Avinash's wife Poonam Devi (30). Neighbours said the latter would often curse Manish and his wife for "making no effort to support the family" despite being well off themselves.

This morning, as Manish went to the kitchen on the ground floor of the three-storied residence, he noticed Poonam cooking. The moment she saw him, she again began cursing him.

Manish ran up to his room on the first floor and returned with a country-made pistol. Before Poonam could react, he shot her in the head point blank, killing her instantly. After that, Manish went back to his room only to stop at the door and shoot himself in the head.

Pataliputra police station house officer (SHO) Rakesh Kumar Dubey said investigations showed there was a lot of unrest in the family for quite some time.

"They were three brothers. Manish was the eldest and Avinash the youngest," Rakesh said. "Most members of the family seem to be in an agitated state of mind and it could be because of the ongoing family feud. Avinash and Poonam had two children, aged 15 and 4. Manish too is married but the couple do no have children. The third brother, Rajnish, is unmarried." The family, including their mother Ram Kumari Devi, live on the ground and first floors of the house. The second floor has been rented out.

"Those living on rent told the police that the family members used to quarrel a lot among themselves all the time. Nobody from the family was in a position to give a proper answer as to the exact motive behind the shooting," the SHO said.

Sources said Manish was well off financially.

"His wife came from a well-to-do family in Purnea district," said a source on condition of anonymity.

"His father-in-law had built a new home for them in Purnea. Manish's wife was there for some ceremonies and was set to return on Friday."

Manish was short-tempered and very angry with Poonam because of her taunts but had not reacted so far. It now appears like he had decided to kill Poonam and end the ongoing unrest once and for all. The police are investigating how he got hold of the pistol in the first place. It is strange that the family had no inkling of the murder despite being present at the time of the murder. The neighbours alerted the police.

Manish's wife, who returned on Friday, has given her statement to the police. "She said roughly what the neighbours had said before. Others in the family are unable to say anything at the moment," the officer said.

The police said attempts were being made to talk to the brothers and, especially, the mother. "It is possible the family is holding back something. The police will take down their statements after they complete the final rites of the dead," the officer said. "All of them were in the house but they all claim that they neither heard nor saw anything. This looks suspicious. It has been learnt that the pistol, which had six rounds, is Munger-made. Only two empty cartridges were recovered, which means the killer had loaded just two bullets. The house will be searched thoroughly."