Autopsy reveals poison in 5 bodies

As per police, the man had taken a loan of ₹6 lakh and was unable to repay them

PATNA: Preliminary autopsy report has found poison in the bodies of five members of a family in Bihar’s Samastipur district who were found hanging at their home on Sunday, police said.

Samastipur in-charge district magistrate (DM) Binay Kumar Rai said the viscera has been preserved. “It will be sent for examination to the forensic science laboratory,” he said, adding that the civil surgeon had briefed him about presence of poison in the bodies.

“Prima facie, it appears to be a case of poison consumption,” the DM said.

On Sunday, bodies of middleaged man, his two sons aged 7 and 10, his wife and his 67-yearold mother were found hanging at their house in Mau village.

Police said four bodies were found hanging by the ropes tied from behind while the body of the man, the bread earner for the family, has knots in front. “It means he hanged the four family members after giving them poison before hanging himself. All the bodies were hanging close to one another,” said a police officer.

DM Kumar said the mother was getting old-age pension. “Seven members of his family were getting ration from the public distribution system (PDS) and had received it regularly in the last six months. Both sons were studying in government school,” he said.

The man also had daughters, who are married.

“Investigations so far have revealed he was in debt, having taken loans from a self-help group and Bandhan bank,” Kumar said.

Police sources said he had taken loans of over ₹6 lakh and was unable to repay them. The entire family was in distress over debt and moneylenders were continuously mounting pressure on them to pay back the amount.

The man had earlier purchased four vehicles — a pickup van, another van and two autorickshaws — but lenders seized all when he could not pay their instalments during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Before his death, he was running a tobacco (khaini) shop.

One of his daughters alleged he was killed by money lenders as he was unable to pay them back money he borrowed to marry off his elder daughter. She disclosed that her grandfather has also committed suicide in the same house on November 16, 2021, due to debt.

Meanwhile, leader of the opposition and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav attacked chief minister Nitish Kumar and the Central government. “All five members of a poor family died by suicide as they were suffering from poverty, hunger, financial crisis, inflation, unemployment and misery. This unfortunate incident is extremely painful and heartbreaking. It is a slap on the double engine government in the state,” he tweeted.

Union home minister Nityanand Rai and former MP Pappu Yadav visited the village on Monday.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar said police are investigating the matter.

POLICE SAID FOUR BODIES WERE FOUND HANGING BY THE ROPES TIED FROM BEHIND WHILE THE BODY OF THE MAN, THE BREAD EARNER FOR THE FAMILY, HAS KNOTS IN FRONT