The wife of an Austrian man accused of imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and impregnating her repeatedly has been called for police questioning.

Officials said they are preparing to investigate the house of horrors near Amstetten in Lower Austria, where accused rapist Josef Fritzl, 73, resided with his wife Rosemarie, 68, The Times of London reported.

Fritzl is accused of keeping his daughter Elisabeth, 42, in a hidden room in the basement in their, where he led a double life with the family he created with her.

We think Fritzl acted alone but cannot exclude the possibility that someone else was aware of what was going on downstairs, Chief Investigator Frank Polzer said.

The six children Elisabeth had with her father are being held in a clinic near Amstetten.

Police said they intend to question Fritzl's wife about where she thought he was during his visits to the basement and whether she knew anything about their imprisoned daughter, the report said.

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