11 of immigrant family from Pakistan found dead, cops suspect suicide pact
POLICE OFFICIALS SAY THEY FOUND TRACES OF RAT POISON AND A SUICIDE NOTE FROM THE HOUSE OF
THE DECEASED
nJAIPUR/JODHPUR: Eleven members of a Hindu family who moved from Pakistan to India in 2015 were found dead on Sunday in a small house located on a farm in Lodata Alavata village of Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district in what the police suspected to be a suicide pact .A family member who slept outside the hut and was alive informed the police.
The dead include a five-yearold girl and two boys, aged 11 and 10. Police found traces of rat poison and a suicide note in the house, causing them to suspect that the 11 had killed themselves. But murder cannot be ruled out, the police said.
“All angles are being investigated,” said Jodhpur (rural) superintendent of police Rahul Barhat.
Barhat said that the lone survivor who slept on the veranda outside the hut, informed the police about the deaths around 10 am on Sunday.
“The survivor told us that when he went into the house on Sunday morning, other members of the family didn’t wake up. He said he called some people and it was found that the 11 people were dead. Kewalram went to the police station to inform about the incident,” the SP said.
The Jodhpur SP and district collector Indrajeet Singh visited the scene. Senior police officials, a dog squad and a forensic science laboratory (FSL) team also reached the house.
The dead belonged to the Bheel community. All of them lived in the single-room house.
“All the deceased are Pakistani immigrants and were living in Jodhpur since 2015 on long-term visa. Migrants of any other country can only apply for citizenship after completing seven years in India. The family had taken a farm on lease from a local and used to do farming on that for their survival. They had many relatives in Jodhpur also,” said Barhat.
The Jodhpur rural SP said that during examination of the spot, traces of rat poison were found. No injury marks or bruises were found on the bodies, the SP said.
“Prima facie it appears that the deceased consumed poisons as traces of rat poison were found from the floor of the house. There is a possibility that someone may had mixed the poison in the dinner of the deceased last night. A suicide note has also recovered from the spot which indicates abetment. However, the note could have been placed on the spot to distract the police investigation. No injury marks or bruises have been found on the bodies of the deceased,” the police officer said.
The suicide note mentioned financial hardships the family was facing and problems two family members were facing from their in-laws. The SP said the suicide note could have been planted at the crime scene to divert police investigation.
The postmortem examination on the victims would be done by a team of doctors at a Jodhpur medical college.