Bhubaneswar, Sept.7: Nayagarh police are yet to make any headway in cracking the murder of four members of a family. Two children were among the victims.

The gruesome incident happened in the Shastri Nagar area of Chandpur in Nayagarh district yesterday.

Sources said police have detained four persons for interrogation. Sniffer dogs have been pushed into service to gather clues. Investigating officers have collected fingerprints from the crime spot. They have also seized a blood stained iron rod and a gold case that was found near the house.

The deceased were identified as retired government employee Kashinath Patra, 65, his daughter-in-law Suchitra, 35, and his grandchildren Niti Sagar and Sagarika. Kashi-nath’s son, Sarat, who works in Bhubaneswar was the first to see the bodies when he reached home in the evening.

Police suspect that it is a murder for gain and in all probability, more than one person was involved in the crime. Nayagarh superintendent of police Bhagyadhar Behera said: “We are looking at possible angles but have a feeling that burglary led to the murders. We hope to arrest the criminals soon.” Pravat Sahu, a relative of the family, said that almirahs in the house were lying open and valuables were missing. “We suspect dacoity led to the killings but we are waiting for the police to solve the case,” said Sahu.

He ruled out personal enmity or any other reasons for the murders.

As the gory news spread like wildfire, people from nearby areas gathered at the spot. They blocked the National Highway at Chandpur demanding immediate arrest of the guilty. Senior police officials had assured them that the murderers would be nabbed within 72 hours.