India, May 28 -- An elderly couple was found brutally murdered in their house in Khalapur tehsil's Nigdoli village by their grandson on Monday evening. An intriguing and sinister component of the crime scene was ash smeared on their faces and all over the house.

The victims were identified as Raghunath Dattu Farat, 73, and his wife Surekha Raghunath Farat, 68. Police officials said the murders were likely to have taken place between the night of May 25, when their son last visited, and the evening of May 26, when they were found lying in a pool of blood with their throats slit. A case has been registered against unidentified persons, and an investigation is underway.

"Ash was smeared all over the house, not just on the faces of the dece...