Woman, daughters found dead in Delhi; chilling note found
What's the story
Three members of a family were found dead in an apartment in Delhi's Vasant Vihar neighborhood on Saturday in what appeared to be a case of multiple suicides.
According to the police, a mother and her two daughters were found dead inside their home.
They suspected the three died as a result of "suffocation".
Meanwhile, disturbing suicide notes were also discovered at the scene.
Incident
Police had to forced open the door of the apartment
Manoj C, DCP (South West), said the police reached the scene after receiving a call that a room at Vasant Apartment Society was locked from the inside and residents were not responding.
When the Delhi Police arrived, they forced through the door and found three dead bodies.
The deceased were identified as Manju Srivastava and her two daughters, Anshika and Anku.
Details
What might have killed the family?
When the police arrived, the flat was fully insulated with all doors and windows sealed with a foil-like substance.
According to officials, the knob on the cooking gas cylinder had also been turned on, and an angithi (coal fire) was left burning.
The coal fire and lack of ventilation must have caused lethal carbon monoxide to build up in the room, killing the three.
Suicide note
Chilling notes revealed the suicide plan: Police
As per the information based on notes found inside the house, the women packed the house with polythene and turned the house into a gas chamber.
It was part of their plan to kill themselves by suicide.
The probe has revealed the fire and insulation material was ordered online.
Text
Here is the text of one of the suicide note
One of the suicide notes specifically said that anyone entering the flat should not ignite a match because it may start a fire.
"Too much deadly gas... carbon monoxide inside. It's flammable. Please ventilate the room by opening the window and opening the fan. Do not light match, candle or anything!!" reads the chilling suicide note written in English.
Statement
What did domestic help, neighbors say about the family?
According to the domestic help and neighbors of the deceased, the woman's husband died of COVID-19 last year and the family had been in despair since then.
The woman was also not keeping well for a long time and had recently been confined to bed, according to the police.
They said the case is still being investigated keeping in mind all the possible angles.