A revenue official, his wife, mother and two minor sons were found dead with gunshot injuries in their locked home in Sarsawa town, Saharanpur district, on Tuesday morning. Police are investigating the deaths as a possible case of suicide, with the man’s history of depression under scrutiny.
The deceased have been identified as Ashok Rathi, 40, an amin (land surveyor) with the district administration, his wife, Ajanta, 37, his mother, Vidyawati, 70, and their two sons, Kartik, 16, and Dev, 13. All bodies were found in the same room of their residence in Kaushik Vihar colony.
Police recovered three loaded country-made pistols near Ashok’s body. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ashish Tiwari confirmed that forensic teams have begun investigations, with suicide being examined as one possibility.
Investigators noted blackening around the wounds, suggesting close-range firing. No signs of forced entry or struggle were found inside the house, making external involvement unlikely at this stage.
Ashok had secured his job on compassionate grounds after his father’s death. According to police, he had been undergoing treatment for depression. A neighbour, Jitendra Rathore, said Ashok had appeared mentally disturbed for the past one-and-a-half to two years and was receiving treatment in Chandigarh.
Ajanta’s brother Rahul, who arrived from Nandgarh village in Haryana, said the condition of the bodies suggested the family may have been given sedatives before being shot. He added that about a year ago, Ashok had allegedly administered sleeping pills to his family members in a similar incident, but their lives were saved after the matter was discovered in time.
{{/usCountry}}Ajanta’s brother Rahul, who arrived from Nandgarh village in Haryana, said the condition of the bodies suggested the family may have been given sedatives before being shot. He added that about a year ago, Ashok had allegedly administered sleeping pills to his family members in a similar incident, but their lives were saved after the matter was discovered in time.
{{/usCountry}}Police revealed that Ashok sent a voice note to a relative around 3 am, hours before the deaths were discovered. In the message, he reportedly said, “Mere se bohot badi galti ho gayi hai, me kya karu (I’ve made a big mistake, what do I do).” Several such voice messages have been recovered and are being analysed.
Saharanpur DIG Abhishek Singh, SSP Ashish Tiwari, and SP Rural Sagar Jain visited the scene. Authorities are examining whether financial strain, job-related stress, or domestic issues played a role. The exact sequence of events will be determined after post-mortem reports and forensic examination are completed.