A runaway father accused of allegedly killing his family was captured Tuesday in the central part of the country, police confirmed.

The 48-year-old man surnamed Kang was nabbed in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, some 180 kilometers south of Seoul. Kang fled from the capital early in the morning after he reported to the police that he had strangled his wife and two daughters and would kill himself.

After the call was received, the police confirmed that three women ― a 43-year-old surnamed Lee and two teenagers ― were found dead in their apartment in Seocho-gu, Seoul. A suicide note, allegedly written by Kang, was also found at the crime scene, police said.

Police suspect that financial factors led Kang to commit murder. He recently took out loans worth more than 500 million won ($450,000) from a bank with the apartment as collateral, investigators said. He has also been unemployed for the last three years, they added.

The investigators will launch a probe into the case once Kang is sent back to Seoul.

An autopsy is also planned for the victims to verify the exact cause of the deaths.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)