A 46-year-old man and his four daughters, aged between 20 and 26 years, were found dead inside their home in Rangpuri village of southwest Delhi on Friday morning, senior police officers aware of the matter said on Saturday, adding that they suspected it to be a case of mass suicide or murder-suicide.
According to police, the incident came to light after neighbours informed them of foul smell from the third-floor flat in the four-storey building. Neighbours told police the family mostly kept to itself and the man’s wife — the women’s mother — died of cancer in August.
Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Rohit Meena said police received a call at 10.18am on Friday, where the caller said his tenant was not opening the door. “We reached the building where the owner of the building, Nitin Chauhan, and the caretaker told us they knocked on the door several times, but there was no response,” Meena said.
While trying to enter the flat, police found the door was bolted from the inside and called the Delhi Fire Services for assistance. “The father was found lying on a cot in the first room. There was blood near his mouth,” said an investigating officer, asking not to be named.
The officer said police found four more bodies, lying next to each other, on a bed in the second room. The bodies had begun to decompose. A box of sweets, pesticide, five glasses and a spoon with traces of a “suspicious liquid” were recovered. The deaths likely happened on Tuesday, police said, adding that the post-mortem is yet to be conducted. The family had been living in the building since 2019.
{{/usCountry}}The officer said police found four more bodies, lying next to each other, on a bed in the second room. The bodies had begun to decompose. A box of sweets, pesticide, five glasses and a spoon with traces of a “suspicious liquid” were recovered. The deaths likely happened on Tuesday, police said, adding that the post-mortem is yet to be conducted. The family had been living in the building since 2019.
{{/usCountry}}A preliminary medical exam found no external injuries on the bodies, police said. A second officer aware of the matter said it was not clear yet as to how or why the deaths happened. “We have sent everything to the forensic lab and are exploring the case from all angles. We don’t know if it was a suicide pact or a murder-suicide,” the second officer added, also requesting anonymity.
According to the CCTV footage procured by police and preliminary inquiries, the man bought some sweets, and laced them with the poison, officers said. Around 7pm on Tuesday, the father was seen walking with a blue-coloured package, which is believed to be a box of sweets, according to the footage. None of the family members were seen after this, police added.
An aloof family
Senior police officers said two of the daughters had physical disabilities, while neighbours added that all four daughters had medical issues, including mental illnesses, and they rarely stepped out of their house. The daughters were aged 26, 24, 23 and 20. Police said one of them was visually impaired.
The man worked as a carpenter at the Indian Spinal Injury Centre in Vasant Kunj for 28 years, said DCP Meena. “He stopped going to work in January this year. We spoke to his brother and his sister-in-law who live nearby. They told us that the man had stopped taking interest in affairs of the extended family after the death of his wife and was always occupied with the treatment of his daughters at one hospital or another,” Meena added. The family said they don’t know why the man left the job or how the family managed their finances.
Horrified neighbours and locals, who surrounded the lane on Saturday, said the family did not speak to anyone. “Most of us have been living in this building for over seven years and know each other very well. However, the man and his daughters were different. They never spoke to anyone. We have also seen the man carry one of his daughters from the stairs during what could be a hospital visit,” said Vimla Devi, one of the residents of the building.
Another resident, requesting anonymity, said he did not even know that the man had four daughters. “It is because of TV news that I found that there were many bodies,” he said.
Neighbours remembered the man as an introvert but a dedicated father. “I would see him carrying his daughter on the stairs. He was a dedicated father. I heard he would cook for them, clean the house, wash all their clothes and do other chores,” said Samarjeet Singh, another neighbour.
Senior police officers said they were checking the phones recovered from the spot and the bank account of the father.
“The family alleged there was a financial strain on the father. We don’t know if this led to the deaths. We are also trying to ascertain the sequence of events. Since the father was last seen with a sweets box, we think they ate sweets laced with the poison and also had juice which was spiked with the same,” said the first officer.
The man’s colleagues at the Indian Spinal Injury Center said his wife died at the same hospital last year. “He left work asking for a 15-day leave but never returned,” this person said, asking not to be named.