The pipes face an empty plot and are apparently not outlets for water.
Highlights
- 11 members of family found dead in Delhi's Burari on Sunday
- Cops probing if it was a mass suicide, link to spiritual practices
- Police find 11 strange pipes protruding from one wall of the house
As the police investigate the events leading to the death of 11 of a family in Delhi, strange and chilling details are being examined closely. One of them is 11 pipes protruding from one wall of the house, all set close together.
What has baffled investigators is that there was no water outlet on that side of the house in north Delhi's Burari in which the Bhatias lived until they were found hanging on Sunday morning.
Only one, 77-year-old Narayan Devi, was found on the floor, with signs of strangling.
The 10 others, including Narayan Devi's daughter Pratibha, 57, sons Bhavnesh, 50, and Lalit Bhatia, 45, and their families, were found hanging from a net attached to the ceiling.
Bhavnesh's wife Savita, 48, and their three children Meenu, 23, Neetu, 25, and 15-year-old Dhruv, and Lalit Bhatia's wife Tina, 42, and their 15-year-old son Shivam were also hanging.
The Bhatias had a grocery store and lived in an apartment on the first floor.
Also found hanging was Pratibha's daughter Priyanka, 33, who was engaged last month and was, from all accounts, excited about her wedding later this year.
Most of the bodies were found blindfolded, the mouths taped and hands tied behind the back.
Handwritten notes and a diary found at the site indicate that the deaths were planned and that the family followed so-called instructions for "mass salvation", say the police.
As for the mysterious pipes, they face an empty plot and are apparently not outlets for water. Four of the pipes point straight while seven are bent. One pipe is a little away from the others. Many pointed at the similarities - four of the dead were men and seven women.
The police are investigating the significance of the pipes, but there are already murmurs of a spiritual link.
Narayan Devi had one more son and daughter who lived away and are said to be in shock.
The Bhatias had a grocery store and lived in an apartment on the first floor. They were in no financial trouble, as far as friends and relatives knew. One account suggest they became deeply religious after an accident that left Lalit Bhatia mute.