4 bodies, 3-­yr-­old survivor in afternoon ‘killing spree’ in Gurugram village

The lone surviving member of the family, Naksh, has become a prime witness in the case. The police said the child was in a state of shock and slept next to the body of his father.

Three-year-old Naksh walked into his home in Brijpura village, Pataudi, after school on Wednesday to find his parents and grandmother brutally murdered. His father, 29-year-old Manish Gaur, was stabbed 32 times on the head, face and chest. However, it was four cuts on the neck that eventually led to his death. His grandmother, 61-year-old Phoolwati, was stabbed multiple times and suffered head injuries that led to her death.

A view of the house in which three members of a family were found dead, in Brijpura village of Pataudi, around 43 kilometers from Gurugram, on Wednesday, August 29, 2018. A one-year-old girl, who had suffered serious injuries, died in the hospital, the police said. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

This was revealed in the autopsy report conducted on the couple and the grandmother--Manish and his wife 23-year-old Pinky, and Phoolwati. The accused is the boy’s uncle, who – according to the forensic report – murdered them between noon and 3pm on Wednesday. According to the police, Naksh’s one-year-old sister was still alive when he walked in, but she too was injured. She died later that night in a hospital.

Now the lone surviving member of the family, Naksh has become a prime witness in the case. The police said the child was in a state of shock and slept next to the body of his father. When they entered the house, 43 kilometres from Gurugram, around 8.45 pm, Naksh got up and went near the body of his grandmother. “The child told us that his uncle had allegedly killed his father and grandmother, and he was a ‘bad uncle’,” said KK Rao, commissioner of police, Gurugram.

In the twist to the tale, forensic test revealed Pinky died due to hanging, but it was not clear whether she was killed and hanged or committed suicide.

“Nothing can be ruled out,” said Deepak Mathur, a forensic expert who conducted the postmortem examination. Her hands also had injury marks.

Rao said the neighbours saw the accused leaving the house around 3 pm. “The boy may have seen his uncle inside the house. He may have hid in a corner, and the accused may not have seen him,” the commissioner added.

Naksh is now living with his relatives and is, naturally, in a state of shock, the police said. The accused, Pinky’s cousin, was living with the family for the last 15 to 20 days. A case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against him and he is being interrogated. The police have refused to share the name of the accused fearing tensions in the village. He was allegedly going through a financial crisis, police said.

“There is a possibility that he murdered the family over a property dispute, as he had recently bought land with Manish Gaur. He shared a good bond with Pinky and was annoyed that Manish used to misbehave with her. The accused had threatened to kill the family in a panchayat meeting the previous day, after Pinky was reportedly assaulted by Manish,” the Gurugram commissioner said.