Man kills wife and daughter, then dies by suicide

The man’s brother told the police that he had a debt of around ₹15 lakh and had been trying to find work after suffering heavy losses in his business

THANE: Three members of a family were found dead in their apartment in camp 1 of Ulhasnagar on Thursday morning. Police suspect the 45-year-old breadwinner of the family who worked at a gold jewellery making unit in Sonar Galli killed his 48-year-old wife and young daughter first before dying by suicide, reportedly due to severe financial stress and personal grief.

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According to the police, the man and his family had been sharing a three-bedroom apartment in Ulhasnagar with his younger brother and his family since the past two decades. His son, aged 21, had died due to chronic illness about six months ago.

“The man had been struggling with financial difficulties for several months as he could not get a proper job and had a lot of debts to clear. His mental health deteriorated after he lost his son,” an officer familiar with the case told Hindustan Times.

The man’s brother told the police that he had a debt of around ₹15 lakh and had been trying to find work after suffering heavy losses in his business. The brother also said that he wasn’t aware that the financial crisis had become so severe.

The man’s daughter had secured a first class in her class 10 board exam and the family had celebrated her success just two days prior to the incident, said neighbours.

“The girl had scored well in her SSC exam and we had heard her laughing and cheering with joy with her friends. She had also started planning her future studies. It’s shocking and painful that she died this way,” said Nisha Chotwani, a neighbour.

According to the police, the man and his wife and daughter were sleeping in a separate room on Wednesday night, when he strangled his 48-year-old wife and daughter when they were deep asleep before killing himself. He recorded a video before taking the extreme step, saying he had killed his wife and daughter and no one else should be held responsible for it. He also said that he was under heavy debt and could not afford to make any further payments.

On Thursday morning, the man’s younger brother grew suspicious when nobody emerged from the bedroom. After he knocked on the door and did not get any response, he used a key to open the door and found that all three had died.

“The bodies have been sent for post-mortem and a case has been registered,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity.