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Decomposed bodies of couple, two kids found in Taloja flat
Heavily decomposed bodies of an online trader, his wife, and two children aged eight and seven, were found at a Taloja apartment on Saturday in a suspected case
Heavily decomposed bodies of an online trader, his wife, and two children aged eight and seven, were found at a Taloja apartment on Saturday in a suspected case of murder-suicide. Police suspect the 35-year-old man killed his family around a month ago before committing suicide.
Originally from Delhi, the family moved to an apartment at Shiv Corner building in Taloja Sector 9 in September last year. Police have found two suicide notes in one of the bedrooms. “We are committing suicide. Inside the room, there is a letter and money with gold ornaments. Whoever finds our bodies, please cremate us as per Hindu rituals. We do not have any relatives,” the note read.
In another note, ostensibly written by the husband, he stresses that no one else was to blame for their deaths. “We are doing this as per our wishes. No one is responsible for our deaths,” the note stated.
Police said they are probing other angles as well to eliminate all possibilities of foul play.
“Preliminary probe has revealed that [the husband] killed his family by strangling them and then hanged himself. The windows were locked and since the apartment is located in the corner, neighbours did not smell anything even as the bodies decomposed,” said Ravindra Gidde, assistant commissioner of police, Panvel division.
Based on the rate of decomposition of bodies, police suspect the murder-suicide took place around a month ago. The bodies have been sent for an autopsy to Panvel rural hospital to estimate the time of death.
The bodies were discovered on Saturday morning when the apartment owner arrived in the society to collect rent.
“When the owner did not get an answer from inside the flat, he opened the door using a duplicate key with the help of the society members. They alerted us after discovering the bodies,” said an officer from Taloja police station.
“The man’s body was so decomposed that his torso had separated from the head. He had also damaged his phone and burnt his ID cards,” Aseem Shaikh, chairman of the society told the media.
“The family used to take part in events. They participated in the building puja. We were informed by the school that the children did not attend school since January 2,” he added.
Police have registered a case of murder against the husband and an accidental death report for his suicide.
