Lucknow, Jul 14 (IANS): The wife of a Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officer was found murdered in her house while the body of his nephew was found hanging in an adjacent room in their house in Talkatora area here.

The bodies were recovered after the woman's son saw them and later informed his father Ghanshyam Verma, who is posted as Assistant Inspector General, Registration in Prayagraj.

Police said the bodies were sent for post mortem on Tuesday and a detailed probe into the matter is underway.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) West, Rajesh Kumar Srivastava, said that prima facie it appeared that the victim, Anita Verma, 43, had been hit on the head with a heavy object and was then strangled with a bathroom pipe.

It is believed that the nephew Ajit, 38, strangled his aunt and then hanged himself.

"Anita used to attend dance classes every evening. Her elder son, Alankar, had gone to get his mobile repaired while the younger son, Vishesh, was sleeping when the incident apparently took place. When Alankar returned home, he thought his mother had gone for her classes. Later in the night, he called her up but her phone did not respond. He went looking for her in the house and found her lying in the bathroom. He then saw his cousin hanging in his room. The boy then informed his father who, in turn, informed the police," the ADCP said.

Ajit was jobless and said to be suffering from depression and may have killed his aunt after a spat in the house. He had been living with his uncle's family since 2011.