‘Debts deepened family’s isolation’

The challenges that the family faced started getting compounded from 2020 with the father facing economic hardships following the Covid-19 pandemic

A day after three half-sisters jumped to their deaths from an apartment in Ghaziabad’s Bharat City, investigators are piecing together the family’s life, which they said was marked by a series of convoluted dynamics – from prolonged financial stress and complex marital relationships, to years of school dropout, and a growing sense of isolation the girls felt in their home.

The family structure, at least three investigators that HT spoke to said, was convoluted: the father first married 18 years ago, and after struggling to conceive, he married his wife’s younger sister 15 years ago. The eldest daughter was born to the first wife; the two younger girls to the second. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Investigators said the sisters, aged 16, 14, and 11, lived with their father – a 42-year-old stock trader – his two wives (who are sisters), a 13-year-old deaf and specially-abled brother, and a four-year-old sister.

The family structure, at least three investigators that HT spoke to said, was convoluted: the father first married 18 years ago, and after struggling to conceive, he married his wife’s younger sister 15 years ago. The eldest daughter was born to the first wife; the two younger girls to the second.

The challenges that the family faced started getting compounded from 2020 with the father facing economic hardships following the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the people cited above said.

Once comfortably middle-class, with a car and the children attending private school, the father suffered heavy losses. “Around eight to nine years ago, the family lived near Shastri Park and the girls were enrolled in Greenfield School in GTB Enclave. The eldest daughter attended school in Nainital for a brief period but dropped out after Class 5. At that time, the family owned a car and appeared financially stable.”

This financial collapse had direct consequences for the girls, another officer explained. They were pulled out of school years ago and never sent back. “The father made them drop out as he believed they were not doing well in academics,” an officer stated.

Another officer said persistent financial distress led to frequent domestic disputes. “There were constant fights in the household. The father was extremely strict with his daughters. Initially, the girls shared two mobile phones and operated a common social media account in the eldest sister’s name. But due to mounting financial pressure, the father sold both phones – one around six months ago and the second barely 10 to 15 days before the incident,” the officer said, stating that this severely cut the girls’ only link to the Korean pop culture they cherished.

The two wives left the home in 2025 for a few days, fed up with the arguments, the officer said. “In May 2025, both wives left the house after repeated fights, leaving the children behind. No formal complaint was lodged, but the father contacted local police. The women returned within two to three days. Their current house has minimal furnishings — old furniture, a television and a few basic items,” the officer said, adding that the children mostly stayed indoors.

Stranded at home, the three sisters started becoming insular, according to the testimonies the family members have given to the police. The investigator said that the three girls started “doing everything together”, while growing estranged from their two siblings.

Investigators also noted the girls had a “failed relationship” with their mute brother and younger sister. This rift is detailed in their suicide note, where they expressed hatred for Bollywood –which they said that their younger siblings were “encouraged to like” – and eventually declaring them their “enemy.”

The note said they tried to share their passion with their younger sister but the parents introduced her to Bollywood instead. They wrote that they “hated Bollywood more than their lives.”

The girls’ paternal uncle told HT that the family had little interaction with relatives. “They rarely visited us, especially the girls. They kept to themselves, and their father was always upset. He often told us about his losses and how he couldn’t recover financially after the pandemic,” he said.