Vasant Kunj deaths: Delhi Police to study Burari suicide case to probe 'occult practices' angle

Delhi Police investigate occult angle in Burari suicide case, studying red thread and sweets found at scene

The Delhi Police will study the 2018 Burari suicide case to see if there was any "occult practice" angle in the deaths of a man and his four daughters at a village in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, officials said on Sunday (September 29, 2024).

They said that the case had raised concerns as the team found a red thread tied on the waist, hand and neck of the four girls. A box of sweets was also recovered from the spot.

According to the police, Heera Lal Sharma, who worked as a carpenter at the Indian Spinal Injury Centre in Vasant Kunj for the last 28 years, and his four daughters - Neetu (26), Nikki (24), Neeru (23) and Nidhi (20) - took their lives under a suicide pact.

Police said that Mr. Sharma was struggling with emotional and financial stress after his wife died last year due to cancer.

Police said that they would study the 2018 Burari suicide case. "In 2018, 11 family members, blindfolded and mouth-taped were found dead at their residence in Burari area of north Delhi. In this recent case, we found five dead bodies - a man and his four daughters, two of them differently-abled - in their rented accommodation. Forensic teams during the initial check found a red thread (kalawa/mauli) tied on the waist, hand and neck. Our teams will check the records of the Burari case to connect the dots of this suicide."

"So far we got to know that Mr. Sharma had not spoken to anyone in the last nine months. He and his daughters were rarely seen outside. After his wife's death, the family had disconnected from everyone," a senior police officer said.

"The team recovered a box of sweets from the house and will also reach the sweets shop to check CCTV footage to know about his route, from where he purchased the celphos (poison) and why he took this extreme step," the officer said.