An 11-member family, including seven women and two teenagers, was found dead at their residence in north Delhi’s Burari locality on Sunday.
Nine of them were found hanging in a line from an iron grill installed for ventilation on the ceiling of the hall on the first floor of the two-storey building, while one was found hanging from an iron grill of a window in the same room. All were blindfolded and gagged, with their hands tied.
A woman in 70s was found dead on the floor of the same room. There were injury marks around her neck, possibly due to strangulation.
There was no sign of robbery as the valuables kept at home and worn by the women were intact. One of the women, an MBA, was to marry a software engineer later this year.
There were unconfirmed reports that handwritten notes were recovered, indicating the family observed some mystical practices. Police suspected the incident to be a case of suicide, but later registered a case of murder.
The family, which ran a grocery shop on the ground floor of their house and a plywood business in Burari’s Sant Nagar area, had been residing in the locality for more than 22 years.
Locals vouched for their good conduct and behaviour, and said they never had any tiff with anyone.
The incident came to light when a neighbour went to buy milk from the family’s grocery shop. As the shop remained closed, he climbed the stairs to check, only to find their bodies.
Police suspected the incident to be a case of suicide but later began investigating it from other angles. Later in the evening, they registered a case of murder. “During investigation, a case of murder has been registered based on the facts and circumstances,” a multi-media news agency quoted Additional Commissioner of Police Vinit Kumar as saying. He said the case has been handed over to the crime branch of Delhi police.
The deceased were identified as Lalit, wife Tina, their only son Shibu; Lalit’s younger brother Bhupesh, wife Savita, their adolescent son Dhruva and two adult daughters Menka and Nitu; Lalit and Bhupesh’s sister Pratibha, a widow, and her daughter Priyanka; Lalit and Bupesh’s mother Narayan Bhatia.