Someone killed them, they did not believe in babas, says relative of Delhi family of 11 found hanging at home

Eleven members of a family were found dead in North Delhi’s Burari on Sunday, with police hinting that the deaths may have been part of a ritual. However, the daughter of the one of the deceased has dismissed the spiritual angle and insisted her family was killed.

A relative of the family, whose 11 members were found dead in north Delhi’s Burari on Sunday, on Monday refuted claims they observed spiritual or mystical practices and may have died during the course of a “religious ritual that went wrong”.

“This family was a happy and peace-loving one who never believed in ‘babas’,” says Sujata, the daughter of the head of the family whose 11 members were found dead on Sunday in Delhi’s Burari. (ANI photo)

“Someone killed them and all the reports on the spiritual angle are bogus. This family was a happy and peace-loving one who never believed in ‘babas’,” Sujata, the daughter Narayan Devi said.

Ten of her family members were found hanging from an iron grill blindfolded, gagged and hands tied behind, and her mother was discovered dead on the floor in another room.

The dead have been identified as Narayan Devi (77), her two sons Bhavnesh (50) and Lalit (45), her daughters-in-law Savita (48) and Teena (42), her daughter Pratibha (57), her grandchildren Priyanka (33), Nitu (25), Monu (23), Dhruv (15) and Shivam (15).

The post-mortem examination of their bodies has confirmed death because of hanging for six of the 11 members of the Bhatia family. Police sources said “ligature hanging” was the reason behind the deaths and that no signs of struggle were found.

Police have registered a murder case because there were “ligature” marks around the neck of Narayan Devi, prompting investigators to suspect that she was strangled. They said they were probing multiple theories to figure what led to the deaths.

Investigators so far have recovered handwritten notes from inside the house that they say hint towards a “suicide pact” related to occult practice.