Eleven members of a family were found dead at their home in north Delhi's Burari this morning.
Eleven members of a family were found dead at their home in north Delhi's Burari this morning. Ten of the victims were found hanging from an iron grill ceiling, while an elderly woman was found lying on the floor, police said. Most of them were blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs.
The incident came to light when a neighbour went to check on Bhatia family, who ran a grocery shop and plywood business out of their home in Burari's Sant Nagar. They have been living in the area for the last two decades.
Every morning, their shop would open by 6, but when it didn't till 7.30 today, a neighbour went to check on the family. Finding the door open, he went inside and saw the family members hanging from the grill ceiling.
Here are the updates on the story:
During a search of the house, certain handwritten notes were found, which point to the observance of some definite "spiritual or mystical practices by the family," a communique from the police said in the evening. "Coincidentally, the notes have strong similarity with the manner in which the mouths, eyes, etc of the deceased were tied and taped," the communique read. The police are investigating the possibility of the deaths being linked to occult practices.
Crime Branch to probe deaths
The Delhi Police's Crime Branch will be probing the mysterious death of 11 members of a family in north Delhi's Burari this morning, a senior officer said, PTI reported. Ten bodies were found hanging and blindfolded, while a 77-year-old woman's body was found on the floor. Two of the deceased are minors, police said.
Forensic team and police found strangulation marks on the body of the 75-year-old woman. A case of murder has been registered as police suspect someone killed the elderly woman and then committed suicide. Post-mortem is still on and further information is underway.
Delhi Crime: 11 Of Family Found Dead In Delhi Home, Blindfolded And HangingEleven members of a family were found dead at their home in north Delhi's Burari this morning. Ten of the victims were hanging from an iron grill ceiling and the body of an elderly woman was found lying on the floor, police said. Most of them were blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs."
The neighbour added that Bhupinder and Lalit Singh, who were brothers, were quite friendly. "They couldn't have committed suicide. I spoke to Bhupinder last night. He was very happy and there was no sign of any stress," a neighbour told news agency IANS.
Of the victims, there were two brothers Bhupinder and Lalit Singh with the former running a grocery store and the latter was a carpenter. Both operated their businesses from their family home.
The family was into plywood business and they were staying in the locality for the last 20 years, the locals said.
Ambulances outside the residence to carry the dead bodies
The police are currently examining the CCTV footage for clues.
"We are investigating from all possible angles, we are not ruling out anything," said Rajesh Khurana, joint commissioner of police, Central Range.
The Bhatia family ran a grocery shop and plywood business a few steps from their double-storey home in Burari's Sant Nagar. They have been living in the area for the last two decades.
Most of them were blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs.
Ten of the victims were hanging from an iron grill ceiling and the body of an elderly woman was found lying on the floor, police said.