MP: Engineer who burnt alive wife, kids sent to prison
An engineer, who burnt to death his wife and two daughters as part of an alleged suicide pact because he believed the family was HIV-positive, was remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday after police completed interrogating him.
An engineer, who burnt to death his wife and two daughters as part of an alleged suicide pact because he believed the family was HIV-positive, was remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday after police completed interrogating him.
Tests conducted on the 39-year-old engineer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have punched a hole in his claims as doctors from a state-run health centre in Multai town of Betul district said last week he had tested negative for HIV.
The engineer was produced in court after his police remand expired and he was sent to jail.
Police officials investigating the incident said they could not decide whether the engineer had lied about the alleged suicide pact. Police are also waiting for the outcome of a detailed analysis of data from a pathology laboratory in Chhatarpur town where the engineer claims he tested positive for HIV.
Officials were of the opinion that either the engineer was actually HIV-positive or was misled into believing that he was by the pathology laboratory in Chhatarpur.
A police officer, who is part of the team investigating the case, told HT: “We have a feeling that this man is not lying. He may not be HIV-positive as the test conducted at the community health centre in Multai town suggested, but he appears to have undergone a test in Chhatarpur where he was declared HIV-positive, which perhaps had a deep psychological impact on him. We shall interrogate the pathologist again to find out the truth.”
The officer further said a police team will visit Chhatarpur to record statements of people associated with the engineer.
Sources said police will soon send a computer hard disc seized from the pathology laboratory to a forensic lab for analysis.
“We are also acquiring phone call details of the engineer and his wife. The persons who were in touch with the couple at the time of the incident or just before it may be interrogated,” said an officer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Betul district’s superintendent of police RK Jain could not be reached for comments.
Relatives of the engineer’s 37-year-old wife accused the police in Betul of going slow in the probe. “It is not a suicide pact. There must be some other motive behind the crime. The police should not trust him as he has tested HIV-negative. My sister used to share everything with me. If she had any doubt about being HIV-positive, she would have definitely shared it with me. This man is lying,” said his sister-in-law, who is a doctor.