Delhi man, 4 daughters found dead in suspected suicide pact in Delhi

New Delhi: The decomposed bodies of a 46-year-old man and his four daughters, two of them differently-abled, have been found in their rented accommodation at a village in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, police said on Saturday.

The police suspect that Heera Lal Sharma, who worked as a carpenter at the Indian Spinal Injury Centre in Vasant Kunj for the last 28 years, and his four daughters -- Neetu (26), Nikki (24), Neeru (23) and Nidhi (20) -- took their lives under a suicide pact.

They lived at a residential complex on the third floor of a four-storey building in Rangpuri village. Each floor houses eight flats and the majority of them were on rent.

The bodies, found on Friday afternoon, did not have any injury marks. Police found three packets of Celphos poison, five glasses and a spoon containing a suspicious liquid from the house.

Police suspect it to be a case of suicide as no evidence of any foul play has been found.

The family had turned recluse after the death of his wife in August last year and appeared to be struggling with emotional and financial stress, according to investigators.

While police said the two youngest daughters of the man were differently-abled, neighbours claimed that all four were physically challenged. The claim is being verified, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Rohit Meena said.

According to locals, the women hardly stepped out of their flat.

The neighbours claimed that they last saw Sharma and his daughters on September 24. CCTV footage of the day has also been recovered from outside the lane in which Sharma was last seen going inside the house.

A police official said the bodies were found after the neighbours complained about a foul smell emanating from flat number C4 on the third floor of the building.

The DCP said building owner Nitin Chauhan was informed about the smell by the caretaker, following which he knocked on the door but got no response.

The police broke open the door with the help of a fire brigade team and found Sharma lying dead in one of the rooms, while the bodies of his four daughters were found in another room, the officer said.

The DCP said according to the neighbours and relatives of the deceased, Sharma's wife died of cancer about a year ago. Sharma used to earn around Rs 25,000 a month but had not gone to work since January, the officer said.

Sharma's brother Mohan and sister-in-law Gudiya reached the house after being informed about the incident. They said Sharma was depressed after his wife died and used to remain preoccupied with his daughters' treatment.

"We spoke to him a few months ago about getting his eldest daughter married but she refused, saying the family needs to get over her mother's death first," Gudiya Sharma said. Gudiya and Mohan live around two kilometres away from the deceased's home.

Earlier, they would often visit Sharma's house but were not in touch with them for the last few months, she said.

Amarjeet Singh, a neighbour, said Sharma hardly spoke to anyone.

"Many people here did not even know that he had four daughters. His youngest daughter would at times be seen outside the house, but his other daughters hardly stepped out of the house," Singh said.

Sharma was often seen washing his daughters' clothes and doing other household work, he added.

Inquest proceedings under section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been initiated and a medical board has been formed for the post-mortem examinations to be conducted on Monday, police said.