Rangpuri deaths: Autopsy shows poisoning, deceased had ₹200 in account, say police

An investigator, on the condition of anonymity, said that an analysis of the man’s account showed he had only ₹208 since April

NEW DELHI

The decomposing bodies of the 46-year-old, a carpenter, and his four daughters were found at their house last week. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Days after a 46-year-old man and his four daughters were found dead at their house in Rangpuri, they were found to be poisoned, police said, citing post-mortem examination reports. They said that prima facie, it seemed to be an incident of suicide or murder-suicide due to financial duress as there was only ₹200 in the man’s bank account.

“The post-mortem examination was conducted today (Tuesday). The final cause of death will come after viscera result. However, prima facie, evidences of suspected poisoning has come in the post-mortem report,” deputy commissioner of police (south west) Rohit Meena said.

An investigator, on the condition of anonymity, said that an analysis of the man’s account showed he had only ₹208 since April. “This is not to say that he didn’t have money at all. There was ration in the house and the man also bought sweets on the day of the incident, but account details point to financial distress,” the officer said.

The decomposing bodies of the 46-year-old, a carpenter, and his four daughters were found at their house last week. Police said the bodies were discovered on Friday after neighbours informed them about a foul smell emanating from a flat on the third floor. The windows and inside doors of the house were found open, police said.

Senior police officers, who initially suspected the incident to be a mass suicide, are also now looking into the murder-suicide angle. Police said they found razor blades and “marks” on the father’s body, which led them to believe that the father fed his daughters sweets and juice laced with pesticide powder.

A CCTV footage, dated September 24, showed the father returning home with a box of sweets. Police said the same sweets were found lying near the kitchen and room. They also found “suspicious liquid” in glasses near the bodies of the women, DCP Meena said.

A senior police officer, who refused to be named, said, “We can’t say it was a suicide pact. There’s evidence which shows marks on the father’s body. There’s a chance that the daughters were murdered and then the father killed himself. The time of deaths are also different and there’s a gap. Had they all consumed the poison, they would have all died within minutes of one another.”