DEATH TIMELINE
Friday August 23
The Kumar family meet Seremaia Saqiwa and his wife Rosi to discuss preparations for a pooja the following Tuesday and a double birthday celebration for Nirmal Kumar’s granddaughters.
Saturday August 24
Mr Saqiwa waits for Mr Kumar to pick him up for shopping, as per their normal routine. Mr Kumar fails to show up.
Mr Saqiwa walks down to the Kumar residence and finds it empty and the vehicle missing.
Sunday August 25
Family members are concerned when none of the Kumars answer their mobile phones. Daya Ram, Mr Kumar’s father-in-law, said it was unlike his son-inlaw to not answer the phone or call him.
Monday August 26
Setareki Nagala hears the sound of a baby crying while he is out looking for a stray horse. He follows the baby’s cries and comes upon the little toddler sitting on top of one of four bodies placed on a patchwork quilt on the edge of a cliff. The bodies are later identified as Nirmal Kumar, 63, his wife Usha Devi, 54, their daughter Nileshni Kajal, 34 and her two daughters Sana and Samarah aged eight and 11.
Mr Nagala steers his horse up the steep mountainside to the main road and flags down a carrier driven by Mohammed Javeed from Mulomulo.
Mr Javeed scrambles down the mountainside, retrieves the one-year-old infant and calls the police. He says it was a miracle she had not gone over the side of the cliff.
A nurse passing by in another vehicle takes the child for emergency medical treatment. The infant remains admitted at the Lautoka Hospital.
Police initially report four bodies and later update this to five with the discovery of Nileshni Kajal, 34, about 20m away from her family.
Police crime scene investigation team cordons off the area and combs through the grassland and area immediately surrounding the bodies for clues.
A family member identifies the family and police investigators cordon off the family home and track down the Kumars car which is located at a shopping centre carpark near the Votualevu roundabout.
Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro says post-mortem examinations on the victims will be conducted today.
Tuesday August 27
Family members gather at the Kumars Legalega home, hoping to gain access into the house but police have kept it cordoned off as crime scene investigators continue to sift for clues.
Wednesday August 28
The post mortem examinations are conducted on the five members of the Kumar family. Family members wait patiently outside, hoping for answers to their mysterious deaths.
Thursday August 29
Police say findings of the post-mortem examination were consistent with an alleged substance ingested by all five victims which resulted in their deaths. Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro says more tests will be conducted by the Fiji Police Chemistry Scientific Lab in Nasova.
Police say they have interviewed two persons of interest. Both are known to the family.
They are Fiji nationals but have permanent residency in New Zealand.
The duo is questioned and released, a stop departure order has been issued for them and their travel documents have been confiscated by the authorities.
Saturday August 31
The Kumar family’s bodies are taken from their Legalega home to Votualevu College where thousands have gathered to pay their last respects. They are then taken to the Votualevu Cemetery for cremation.
As mourners gather at Votualevu College, about 30km away the police forensic team and villagers revisit the site where the bodies were discovered. This time, they descend to the base of the cliff and scour a 200m wide radius looking for more clues.
Salvin Kumar Singh, the father of Sana and Samarah contacts The Fiji Times and tells his side of the story. He said he had spent Saturday August 24 with his daughters and ex-wife Nileshni Kajal and had dropped them at their Legalega home at 4pm. He said the last message he received from Samarah was at 10pm that same day when she sent an emoji on Viber bidding him goodnight. He said the family would never have left their home without their mobile devices.
Mr Singh also dismissed rumours of the person of interest being a “witchdoctor” and said he knew him to be a businessman. However, Mr Singh said the family had often visited Hindu religious healers.
Wednesday September 11
Police say they are now looking at DNA evidence. Police spokeswoman says tests are being conducted on a number of items found at the scene of crime but does not disclose what the items are.