Chandigarh, Jul 22 (IANS): An ex-serviceman killed five members of his family by slitting their throats with a sharp-edged weapon in Haryana’s Ambala district, police said on Monday.

The deceased comprised his mother, brother, sister-in-law and two children. Two injured have been admitted to hospitals.

After the crime, the accused tried to cremate them at midnight when the police reached the spot and recovered the half-burnt bodies. The retired soldier, however, managed to flee from the spot.

The crime was reported in the Narayangarh area over a dispute over two acres of land. The victims were identified as 35-year-old Harish, his 32-year-old wife Sonia, his 65-year-old mother Saropi, five-year-old daughter and six-month-old son.

The injured father, Om Prakash, has been admitted to the Civil Hospital in Narayangarh, some 35 km from the state capital.

One of the daughters of the victim has been referred to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) in Chandigarh with critical injuries.

The police have kept all bodies in the mortuary of the Civil Hospital.

On receiving the information about the crime, Superintendent of Police Surendra Singh Bhauria reached the spot at 3 a.m. and started investigating the case. Also, teams have been formed to arrest the accused.