Chandigarh, July 16 (IANS): Five people were brutally hacked to death in their house in Punjab's Moga district on Thursday, police said. The suspected killer, a 'granthi' (Sikh religious preacher) too was later found dead under mysterious circumstances.

The victims, including two women, were aged between 15 and 23 years. They were residents of Kotla Mehar Singh Wala village near Baghapurana town, nearly 200 km from here.

Police officials investigating the incident said the granthi, who had gone to the house for some religious ceremony on Wednesday night, could have hacked them to death with a sharp-edged weapon.

Police later found the body of the 35-year-old granthi, Varinder Pal Singh, nearby along with the sharp-edged weapon and some poison tablets. The granthi used to live in the village gurdwara.

The victims were identified as Sandeep Kaur, 20; Raj Pal Kaur, 23 (both women); Dharmender Singh, 18; Akashdeep Singh, 15, and Sony Singh, 20.

Police said they were investigating as to how no one else in the house came to know of the gruesome murders till the bodies were found on Thursday.