Bhayandar couple dies in suicide pact

Depressed about the death of his 16-year-old daughter, a 39-year-old jeweller, along with his wife and younger daughter committed suicide by consuming poison at their Bhayandar home on Thursday night.

While Dijen Ganguly (39) and his wife Madhuri (35) died, their daughter, Shweta (9) is battling for life at Bhagwati Hospital. They lived in a two-bedroom rented flat at Bhayandar (E). Their older daughter Suvarna (16) had died on Wednesday.

Bhayander police said the case was discovered at around 1 am on Friday.

“Madhuri’s mother found the victims unconscious in their bedroom, and told her son. They then called Dijen’s brother, Ravindra who lives nearby,” said police inspector Rajendra Mohite of the Navghar police station at Bhayandar (E).

“Dijen and Madhuri had been depressed after Suvarna’s death,” said Ravindra Ganguly Dijen’s brother, adding that Dijen worked at a jewellery workshop at Santacruz. Madhuri was a housewife.

“The post-mortem report said they had consumed poison. We have registered a case of accidental death. The viscera has been sent for chemical analysis,” added Mohite.

Police said the couple first fed Shweta the poison, then consumed it themselves. An empty bottle of whisky was found at the spot.

They said the couple’s daughter, Suvarna had died of cancer at Nanavati hospital on Wednesday.

“Suvarna had been suffering from cancer for around four years. The family had spent several lakhs on her treatment,” said an officer requesting anonymity for lack of authorisation to talk to the media.

“To fund the medical expenses, they sold their flat at Bhayandar and had been living in a rented house at Navghar in Bhayandar (E) for the past year. They had also taken loans from a couple of their relatives,” Mohite said.

Before her death, as Suvarna’s condition progressively worsened, the victims’ relatives came from Kolkata to live with them.

“While one of the rooms in the flat was occupied by the Gangulys, the relatives had been living in the other room,” said the officer.

“Shweta’s condition is serious. She has not regained consciousness,” he added.