7 found dead in Ranchi home, suicide pact over debt suspected

RANCHI: Seven members of a family were found dead in their home in Arsande on the outskirts of Ranchi on Monday in a case that is reminiscent of the suicide pact in New Delhi’s Burari, where 11 members of a family were found dead on July 1.

Police said they found two suicide notes in the Ranchi flat, and officers familiar with the preliminary investigations said it appeared to be a case of “mass suicide” by the family, which, police said, was in financial trouble.

“Five adults and two minors of the family have been found dead. Bodies are being sent for postmortem examinations. The exact cause of their deaths will be clear only after the autopsy,” said Ranchi’s senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anish Gupta.

The seven were identified as 65-year-old retired railway employee Shashi Kumar Jha, his wife Gayitri Devi (60), their sons Deepak Jha (40) and Rupesh Jha (39), Deepak’s wife Soni Jha (38), and their children Jagu (1) and Drishti (6). Rupesh was not married.

Deputy inspector general (DIG) of police (Ranchi range) A V Homkar said it appeared, pending further investigations, that Deepak and Rupesh had killed the others before hanging themselves.

FIVE BODIES WERE FOUND ON A BED, DRAPED IN BLANKETS. THE BODIES OF DEEPAK AND RUPESH WERE FOUND HANGING IN DIFFERENT ROOMS

“Prima facie, this is a case of suicide. All the evidence have been collected,” he told reporters.

Police said they were waiting for post mortem report to find how the brothers killed the other five. Later in the evening, Homkar said one of the suicide notes signed by Deepak Jha revealed that the family was facing financial crisis as he had debt of Rs 25 lakh.

“Deepak was working in a private furniture company as a storekeeper. He has mentioned that he feared that a financial fraud done by him in the company might come to light,” he said, quoting the suicide note.

Five bodies were found on a bed, draped in blankets. The bodies of Deepak and Rupesh were found hanging in different rooms. One upturned stool each was found in both the rooms. Neighbours said Deepak was employed as a marketing representative in a pharmaceutical company and Rupesh was working for an online firm from home.

Homkar said two suicide notes -- one running into 15 pages and the other two pages -- were found from the spot but declined to share details about what they said.

The bodies were discovered at around 8.45am after a child who lives in a flat on the same floor walked into the house to tell the six-year-old Drishti that her school van had arrived.

Neighbours said the family, which had moved in this January, was in a financial trouble over a business loan of around R20 lakh that it was being unable to replay, and because of the spiraling medical expenditure of Jagu, who was suffering from cerebral edema.

According to the owner of the house, A Mishra, Deepak was trying to set up his own business, details of which were not clear. The house owner’s wife, Savitri Devi, who lived in the same building, said she did not hear any suspicious noises during the night.

“The family had celebrated Jagu’s birth on July 4,” said another neighbour Usha Pandey, who stays in the adjoining rented flat. “There was nothing unusual in their behaviour. They even told me that they plan to go to Pahari temple today,” she added.

“They had taken a loan of around R20 lakh. As a result, Deepak’s father often used to speak about their financial crisis,” said a fourth neighbour who asked not to be named.