Houston: An Indian-American couple was found dead in their home in an apparent murder-suicide at an affluent suburb in the US state of Texas, police said.

Police officers were called to the house in Sugar Land on Monday around 6 am. They found the bodies of Sreenivas Nakirekanti, 51, and his wife, 46-year-old Shanti Nakirekanti at the scene.

They said Shanti was found with a gunshot wound to her head in the driveway of the home on Pendergrass and Sheffield Court.

Sreenivas was found in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to the chest and a small handgun nearby, police said.

Police said a preliminary investigation indicates Sreenivas shot and killed Shanti and then turned the gun on himself.

According to the authorities a 16-year-old girl was asleep in the home at the time of the shooting. She answered the door for police when they arrived and told them her dad was not coming out of the bedroom.

She was not injured. The daughter is now in the care and custody of friends, Sugar Land city spokesman Doug Adolph said.

Friends said the couple also has a 21-year-old son who attends the University of Texas.

"The two fatalities fits the scenario of a murder-suicide. This case is still under investigation," said the Sugar Land Police Department (SLDP) in a press statement.

"There is no danger to residents and SLPD is not looking for any suspects," it noted.

Police told local press there was no history of domestic violence. Friends of the couple told local media they had received an email from Sreenivas that day, but police had asked them not to share the content of the note.

People close to the couple said Sreenivas was a director at an energy company in Houston and Shanti was a computer programmer, and they didn't know of any problems between the two.

He's one of the best friends for a lot of people, and his wife is known to a lot of people here in the community. They're also involved in some charitable organizations. We are really shocked. What went on inside, we don't know, so we're trying to get more details from the police once they complete their investigation, said a longtime friend at the scene.

The murder-suicide is under investigation.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded a comprehensive investigation and strict accountability for the tragic fire at a nightclub in Goa that killed 25 people, with Rahul Gandhi claiming it was a criminal failure of safety and governance.

The fire broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane, a popular nightclub at Arpora village in North Goa, early Sunday, killing at least 25 people, including four tourists and 14 staff members, and injuring six others.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed his deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the blaze.

“This avoidable tragic incident is an irreparable loss, and I pray for the speedy recovery of all those who have been injured.

ALSO READ: https://english.varthabharati.in/india/25-killed-6-injured-in-fire-at-nightclub-in-goa

“Such tragedies call for a comprehensive investigation, strict accountability, and immediate steps to ensure that all fire safety norms are enforced, so that such devastating incidents are never repeated,” Kharge said in a post on X.

The veteran leader also appealed to all the Congress workers in the coastal region to extend every possible support and assistance to the affected families and stand with them in this hour of grief.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said he was deeply pained by the tragic fire in Arpora.

“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured. This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance. A thorough, transparent probe must fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don't occur again,” Gandhi said in an X post.

Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, sought fixing of accountability for the tragic blaze so that such incidents are not repeated.

"The fire at a night club in Arpora, Goa, is shocking and I convey my heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims who lost their lives.

"This tragedy took place because of the negligence of the authorities in enforcing fire safety norms. We urge a thorough and impartial investigation to identify those responsible and to ensure accountability, so that such a tragedy is never repeated," he said in a post on X.