Ludhiana family found murdered kept to themselves, say neighbours

Never interacted with neighbours or played with the street kids; quarrels were routine, say locals.

Shockwaves spread through Mayur Vihar on Humbran Road as residents woke up to the news of four murders in a house on Tuesday.

Police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal, along with other police officials, investigating the crime at the family’s house at Mayur Vihar in Ludhiana on Tuesday. (Harsimar Pal Singh/HT)

Rajiv Sunda, 60, a local, had hacked four members of his family to death with an axe and knife before fleeing in his Maruti Suzuki Swift car, which he later set ablaze and went missing.

The victims were Rajiv’s wife Sunita Sunda, 58, son Ashish Sunda, 35, daughter-in-law Garima Sunda, 32, and grandson Suchet, 12. The father-son duo was into the business of construction and share trading.

Victims Sunita Sunda, her daughter-in-law Garima Sunda and son Ashish Sunda.

According to neighbours, the Sunda family kept to themselves and hardly socialised with the neighbours. Even Suchet never stepped out to play with the children in the street.

Vishal Vij, a neighbour, said he had been living in the area for the past 12 years and the Sunda family was also there for long. But, he had never interacted with anyone in the family all these years.

“They (Sunda family) rarely came out of the house. Rajiv would inform his family before his arrival in the evening and they would open the main gate of the house to allow him to drive the car straight inside,” he added.

The neighbours said quarrels between the family were a common affair. A domestic help, who lives in front of the Sunda house, said she heard some voices from the house on Tuesday, but disregarded it as spats were in the house were routine.