55-yr-old woman, 2 daughters found dead inside house

Trio died of ‘suffocation’, suspect cops

A 55-year-old woman and her two daughters were found dead in their house in Vasant Apartment at south west Delhi’s Vasant Vihar area on Saturday night. Police have also found suicide notes which were affixed on walls on the house and they suspect the trio died due to “suffocation”.

The deceased have been identified as Manju Srivastva (mother) and two daughters, Anshika and Anustha, aged 30 and 26. Police said that Manju’s husband Umesh had passed away in April 2021 due to Covid-19 and since then the family was in depression as Manju was also bed-ridden due to illness.

A PCR call was received at Vasant Vihar police station around 8.55 pm on Saturday in which the caller, a local resident, stated that a house is locked from inside and the people are not opening the door. Acting on the call, the station house officer along with a police team reached the spot and found the doors and windows closed on all sides, and the flat locked from inside.

“The police managed to open the door and found that a gas cylinder was partially opened. As the police went further to check the rooms, they found three bodies lying on the bed and three small incessant candles (Angithi) were kept in the room. It is presumed that they died due to suffocation,” said the DCP adding that suicide notes were also found.

“Police team found that the room, in which bodies were found, was completely sealed with foils to prevent the fumes from the angethi leaving the room,” said police official privy to investigation.

Police suspects that the trio died due to the toxic fumes and by sealing the room with foils, the fumes from angeethi had created a room like a ‘gas chamber’.

Police said that they have found three pages of the suicide note affixed on the wall of the room. “The content and veracity of the note are yet to be verified and are still under investigation,” said a senior police official.

“Too much deadly gas... carbon monoxide inside. It’s flammable. Please ventilate the room by opening the window and opening the fan. Do not light match, candle or anything!! Be careful while removing the curtain because the room is full of hazardous gas. Do not inhale. Open the inside window from outside,” read one of the pages pasted on the wall.

“The inquest proceedings have been initiated,” police added.