Family mourned

This is the first photo to have emerged of a UAE family who were found slaughtered in an Indian hotel room. A special mourning ceremony was held in India yesterday for Prasad Kadali, his wife Vijayalakshmi and their two children Kavitha and Ketan, who lived in Sharjah. Vijayalakshmi's brother Vijay Kumar said the family's ashes were scattered into a river that runs through their native village, as is Hindu custom. "It is hard to forget them. They were nice people and had enjoyed their visit back here. It is shocking what has happened," he said. Prasad was found lying in a pool of blood on Saturday at the RAK Royal Lodge in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, after being struck over the head with a heavy object. His wife and children had been strangled to death. Hyderabad police said yesterday they strongly suspected the involvement of two couples who had checked in to the hotel and were trying to track them down. "We are not ruling out their involvement in the murder. They have not been seen since the murder took place," Assistant commissioner of police YV Ramana told 7DAYS. Prasad, who worked at Dubai Petroleum Company, and his family were supposed to have returned to Dubai on Friday having spent a few weeks in their homeland. But instead of going to the airport they checked out of their plush hotel and moved into the lodge. Police said they were baffled as to why the family would do this as the lodge is a budget property and they were quite wealthy. The police are investigating whether the deaths are linked to a dispute over property.