In a shocking incident, a 30-year-old man strangulated his wife and killed three minor daughters before committing suicide by hanging himself at his one-room rented accommodation at Railla village in Panchkula’s Sector 12 on Friday morning.
Police said Neeraj Kumar, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh and worked as a peon in a showroom in Sector 11, Panchkula, was found hanging by his brother Om Prakash, 28, when the latter returned after washing cars in the neighbourhood at 6.30am. Shocked neighbours denied hearing any cry for help and learnt about the incident only when Om Prakash raised an alarm.
The body of Neeraj’s wife, Rajkumari, 28, bore injury marks on the neck, said the police, adding there were no visible injuries on the bodies of their daughters Navita, 5, Siwani, 2, and Ananya, 7-month old. The bodies of all five members of the family were taken to government hospital, Sector 6, for post-mortem examination.
Om Prakash said he was sleeping on the roof of the two-storeyed building and came down to the first floor when it started drizzling at around 4am. The family resided in one room with a verandah. “Neeraj opened the door and let me sleep in the verandah before I left for washing cars in the neighbourhood as a routine. When I returned around 6.30am, no one opened the door,” he claimed. He got suspicious and saw his brother's body hanging from a window. He said he entered the room after breaking the window glass at the top of the door and found the other family members dead, too. Neeraj’s body was lowered by his brother after cutting the rope with which he had hanged himself.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Anil Kumar Dhawan said prima facie it appears Neeraj strangulated his wife with a rope, killed his daughters and committed suicide. “The post-mortem examination will reveal details,” he said.
Three-line suicide note recovered
A three-line note was recovered from the spot in which Neeraj had held his brother-in-law Kamlesh Kumar and stepmother Sudha responsible for the incident. Dhawan said Neeraj was having a dispute with his brother-in-law and stepmother and was under stress. “In the letter, Neeraj stated that Kamlesh used to threaten of killing him,” said Dhawan.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Anil Kumar Dhawan said prima facie it appears Neeraj strangulated his wife with a rope, killed his daughters and committed suicide. “The post-mortem examination will reveal details,” he said.
Three-line suicide note recovered
A three-line note was recovered from the spot in which Neeraj had held his brother-in-law Kamlesh Kumar and stepmother Sudha responsible for the incident. Dhawan said Neeraj was having a dispute with his brother-in-law and stepmother and was under stress. “In the letter, Neeraj stated that Kamlesh used to threaten of killing him,” said Dhawan.
The neighbours were not aware of any family discord and denied hearing any noise from the room in the morning. The police suspect that the murders took place between 4am and 6.30am. A case was registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sector 5 police station. The police are yet to record statements of Kamlesh and Sudha.
Acording to SHO Sector 5 police station Inspector Lalit Kumar, Neeraj’s brother-in-law Kamlesh Kumar and stepmother Sudha have been booked under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
No women cop visited the spot
Though the all-women police station was inaugurated in Panchkula on Friday, no women cop visited the spot despite four victims being women.