43-year-old stabs wife, daughter to death, kills self in East Delhi

Rohit Meena, deputy commissioner of police, Shahdara, said prima facie, it is a case of murder and attempt to murder by the man who later died by suicide.

A 43-year-old man went on a stabbing spree in his house in east Delhi’s Shahdara on Tuesday morning, murdering his wife and six-year-old daughter and severely injuring his 13-year-old son, before killing himself, police officers said.

A man in east Delhi’s Shahdara stabbed to death his wife and six-year-old daughter before dying by suicide. His 13-year-old son survived the attack, and is getting treatment at a hospital, police said. (HT Photo)

The incident came to light after a colleague called the man for a work-related matter — he informed the caller about the murders before dying by suicide.

Police found the bodies in the children’s bedroom, while their son was found unconscious with a deep cut on his neck. He was taken to a hospital and is critical, said officers aware of the matter.

The police did not recover a suicide note from the spot, but financial documents in the family’s home at Shahdara’s Jyoti Colony suggested that they were in debt, officials said.

The man used to work with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and his wife, 43, was a homemaker.

Preliminary investigations suggest the alleged killings and the suicide took place between 11.20am and 12.05pm on Tuesday, said the police.

The other DMRC employee called the police control room at 12.04pm, informing them that his reporting manager had allegedly killed everyone in his family.

“He told the police that when he called to ask for leave, the man was crying on the phone, saying that he had killed everyone in his family. He did not take any call after that,” said Rohit Meena, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara).

“When police reached the spot at around 12.12pm, the man was found hanging, while the other deceased were found with severe stab injuries. His son, having deep stab wounds on the neck, was unconscious. Police immediately took the boy to GTB hospital for treatment. According to the doctors, his condition is critical as his vocal cord had severe cuts,” Meena said.

Police have filed a murder and an attempt to murder case in this connection, and also recovered two blood-stained knives used to commit the alleged killings.

“The two knives with blood stains on them were recovered from his room. His phone has been sent for forensic analysis. Teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) are still inspecting the scene of occurrence,” said the DCP.

Residents were in the building during the alleged killings: Police

The family, which used to live on the top floor of a two-storey house, also had a pet dog which was found leashed on the terrace when police reached the spot.

On the ground floor of the house lived the man’s niece and nephew, while an elder brother and his wife live on the first floor, police said.

Police said that they were trying to ascertain how the alleged killings were committed at that time of the day and with all occupants inside the building when the incident took place.

“Jimmy (the family’s pet dog) was barking abnormally in the morning. But we couldn’t anticipate what was happening in their house. After the police arrived, we saw Jimmy in severe depression. We brought him to the ground floor with us,” said the man’s 18-year-old niece, adding that they were aware about the family’s financial situation.

According to the niece, she had last seen her uncle on Monday night.

His elder brother, who works as an agent in an insurance company, said that the man used to remain upset, had frequent altercations with his wife, and would beat his children on petty issues. “My wife is at the hospital with his son and we are praying for his recovery,” he said.

According to his neighbour and childhood friend, the man had taken loan of ₹15 lakh by mortgaging his wife’s jewellery. “Apart from this, he had also taken personal loans on his salary account,” he said.

Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, said, “It is a police case and we would not like to comment on the incident as such. However, any assistance or information needed by the authorities will be provided by us.”