Two children found dead in east Delhi house

When investigators broke open the door, they found the children dead in a room, their bodies in a decomposed state

A 13-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister were found dead, and their 40-year-old mother unconscious, at their home in Shashi Garden, east Delhi, on Saturday, police officers said. Police added that the children’s 42-year-old father, Shyam Singh, who had been missing since Friday, was found dead on a railway track. Police suspect that he murdered the children and assaulted their mother.

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Apoorva Gupta said that the control room received a call about a missing person at 2pm on Saturday. (Representational image)

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Apoorva Gupta said that the control room received a call about a missing person at 2pm on Saturday. “The caller said that his brother, Shyam Singh, was missing and that his house was locked since Friday. A police team immediately arrived on the scene,” said DCP Gupta.

When investigators broke open the door, they found the children dead in a room, their bodies in a decomposed state. There were injuries to the girl’s face. “Their mother was also found unconscious. She was rushed to a hospital,” Gupta said. Investigators said that the woman had multiple bruises on her body leading them to suspect that she had been beaten up.

“The nature of injuries and the children’s cause of death is yet to be determined. The bodies have been preserved at Lal Bahadur Shastri mortuary for an autopsy,” DCP Gupta said, adding that the children’s mother has been admitted to AIIMS.

“We have registered a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. The motive behind the killings is being investigated,” said DCP Gupta.

Late of Saturday, joint commissioner of police (eastern range) Sagar Singh Kalsi said that an unidentified dead body that was found on a railway track on Friday was identified as that of Singh on Saturday. “The body was found by the Government Railway Police and has been identified by Shyam’s brother,” the officer said.

According to police, Singh ran a tea stall in the neighbourhood. His wife was a homemaker and the children attended a government school. The family was from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. They recently bought a second-floor house in street number six in Shashi Garden six months ago, said investigators.

A neighbour and relative who identified himself as Vijay Kumar said, “Singh used to open the shop every day but he didn’t open the tea stall on Friday. His brothers came home on Friday evening and found the door locked. They again came on Saturday and found the same, so they called the police,” he said.