Lucknow, Oct 13 (IANS): A couple and their two minor children were bludgeoned to death by unidentified people in Uttar Pradesh's Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar district, police said Thursday.

Businessman Ajay Gupta (38), his wife Manju Devi (35) and their two children, aged 9 and 12, were found murdered Thursday inside their house in Amethi town.

"Preliminary investigations indicate the four killings might have taken place Wednesday night," Superintendent of Police Sugreev Giri told reporters in Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar district, some 100 km from Lucknow.

"The couple's youngest child, a girl, was found lying critically wounded in a room of the house," he said.

The police are yet to ascertain the motive behind the killings but have ruled out theft or robbery.

"As valuables of the house have not been stolen, we don't believe that the killings were committed with the intention of loot," Giri said. "We believe the couple's youngest child, the sole survivor of the attack, could provide us vital clues."

The injured girl was referred to a hospital in Lucknow after her condition deteriorated.