Three members of a mahout’s family posted in the Jaldapara National Park in Alipurduar died under mysterious circumstances on Sunday night.

Police have recovered the bodies and are waiting for post-mortem reports.

Binod Oraon, the mahout, said he suspected his brother Ravi, 30, killed his son Vivek, 13, and mother Bibi Lohar, 52, and then hanged himself.

Sources said that Binod, posted at the national park, stays at the Jaldapara east range. His wife, son, mother and brother used to stay at a state forest department quarters at Madarihat range.

“My son Vivek used to study at a school in Madarihat, which is why he and my wife Pushpa used to stay at the quarters with my mother and brother,” said Binod.

He said that on Monday morning, he got a call from his son’s school saying Vivek had not turned up for the annual exams.

A worried Binod rushed to the Madarihat range area. Reaching the house, he found his brother Ravi dead and hanging in a room. The bodies of Vivek and Bibi Lohar were lying in another room, he said. Pushpa was asleep in another room, he said.

Binod called up the police and soon a team from the Madarihat police station rushed to the spot.

“I suspect my brother killed them and then committed suicide. Fortunately, he didn’t do anything to Pushpa,” Binod said.

Sources said that in 2014, Malo Oraon, the father of Binod and Ravi and a forest department employee, died. Ravi, his brother, applied for a job on compassionate grounds, but didn’t get the job. This reportedly left him frustrated.

“We have information that over the years Ravi used to quarrel with his mother and demanded money from her as she would get a pension. On Sunday evening, Ravi burnt down all his academic certificates and books,” said a police source.

The police would also probe why Pushpa didn’t have any inkling of the deaths.

“We are waiting for the post-mortem reports. We will also speak to the mahout and his wife,” said Y. Raghuvamshi, the Alipurduar SP.