Kottayam (Kerala) | A businessman and his wife were found murdered in their house in Thiruvathukkal in this district on Tuesday, police said.

Both of them were found in a pool of blood in the morning, and police later confirmed it as a case of murder.

The deceased were identified as Vijayakumar, who owns an auditorium and runs several other business establishments in the district, and his wife Meera, police said.

According to police sources, their maid, who came to the house for daily work in the morning, spotted the bodies of the couple inside the front area of the building.

Though she used to enter the house via the back door, it was found locked this morning, and so she entered the building through the front door, they said.

She soon alerted the neighbours about the shocking incident, who in turn informed the police.

Kottayam Superintendent of Police Shahul Hameed said that police confirmed the couple's death as a murder and got some indications about the accused.

A special team would be formed for the investigation of the twin murder, he told a TV channel.

"As per the indications, the motive of the murder is personal rivalry. As of now, we don't see any evidence of theft from the crime scene," he said.

When the officer was asked about a migrant worker who had been dismissed from the service by the deceased couple recently, he said the police need some more time to get clarity on such aspects.

Though there was a full-time security-cum caretaker in the house, he came to know about the incident only after the maid informed the neighbours about it in the morning, police added.

The deceased couple's daughter is living abroad, local people said.