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Cloth merchant, wife, daughter found dead in Lucknow; suicide suspected
According to DCP West Vishwajeet Srivastava, the incident came to light when the minor daughter made a phone call to her aunt, informing her about her parents’ condition. The call disconnected abruptly, prompting the family to rush to the house and alert the police.
A 48-year-old cloth merchant, his wife, 45, and their 16-year-old daughter were found dead at their home in the Ashrafabad locality under Chowk police station on Monday morning, in what police suspect to be a case of suicide by poisoning.
According to DCP West Vishwajeet Srivastava, the incident came to light when the minor daughter made a phone call to her aunt, informing her about her parents’ condition. The call disconnected abruptly, prompting the family to rush to the house and alert the police.
The family was discovered unconscious around 5 am, with froth at their mouths. A police team reached the residence and found all three members unconscious. “They were rushed to the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) Trauma Centre, where doctors declared them dead,” the DCP said.
A suicide note and broken bangles were recovered from the scene. A forensic team also seized an open cold drink bottle suspected to have been used to consume poison. Police said the door was locked from inside, and preliminary evidence suggests that the act was premeditated.
“The daughter’s call and the locked door point towards a planned suicide. The merchant had handed a spare key to his elder brother a day before, stating he might visit his in-laws and asked him to water the plants,” a senior police official said.
The deceased ran a garment shop in Rajajipuram. His two brothers live in the city’s Rajabazar area. According to relatives, there had been no signs of distress or tension in the family.
“My wife spoke to her sister-in-law recently. She even talked about going on a spiritual trip,” Shantanu (name changed), the merchant’s elder brother, said.
Shop workers and relatives expressed shock over the incident. “He came to the shop as usual and talked to everyone normally. Nothing seemed off,” an employee said.
Neighbours described the merchant as active in community work. “He was friendly and sociable. We never imagined he would take such a step,” Somil Rastogi, a neighbour, said.
