Three children among 7 of family die in ‘suicide pact’ at Panchkula

In the quiet neighbourhood of Sector 27 here, a tragedy unfolded late Monday night as six members of a family were discovered lifeless inside a car parked in a vacant plot. The seventh occupant, a man gasping for breath, was found partially conscious and claimed that he would be dead in another five minutes. Despite efforts to save him, he later died at Civil Hospital in Sector 6.

Advertisement

The man was identified as Parveen Mittal, aged 41, who in his final moments confessed to being heavily in debt and indicated that his entire family ended life in a suicide pact.

The police later identified the other deceased as Parveen’s wife Reena, their three minor children — twin daughters Dhruvita and Dilisha, aged around 12, and 14-year-old son Hardik — and his parents Deshraj Mittal and Bimla.

The parked vehicle, which bore a Dehradun registration number, attracted attention of a local resident, Harshit Rana, as its windows were obscured with towels. Rana, who had stepped out for a walk, found it suspicious. He approached the car and knocked at it. Parveen, the only conscious person inside, responded by saying that the family had come to listen to Bageshwar Dham’s Hanumant Katha in Panchkula and were looking for a hotel, but the children had fallen asleep, so they had parked temporarily. Harshit recounted that he found the explanation odd, especially given the strange sight of the covered windows. On closer inspection, he saw other six family members lying motionless. The police were alerted immediately on 112 and a PCR vehicle reached within minutes.

Puneet Rana, another eyewitness, recalled how he shone his flashlight inside and was horrified to find six people slumped over each other, unresponsive, with signs of vomiting. Puneet offered Parveen water and asked whether he had killed the others. In response, Parveen admitted that all others had taken poison and were already dead, and that he had done the same. He said he too had “taken poison” and “would die in five minutes”, and then collapsed. While all six members were rushed to Ojas Hospital, Praveen was taken to the Civil Hospital, where he later died.

The family’s last days

The family had moved to Saketri in Panchkula around a month ago, after relocating multiple times in recent years due to mounting debt. Originally from Hisar, they had earlier lived in Dehradun and briefly in Kharar before shifting to Pinjore to stay with Reena’s father Rakesh. However, tensions with the in-laws led Parveen and his family to move again, this time to a rented accommodation in Saketri.

On the morning of the incident, Parveen had called Manish Chaudhary, the landlord of the Saketri house, and informed him that the family would be leaving the city as the children’s summer vacation had started. When Manish asked whether Parveen’s elderly parents would also be going, he simply replied that the entire family was leaving. No one imagined the dreadful meaning behind those words until that night.

According to Parveen’s father-in-law Rakesh, the family had been battling a crushing financial crisis. He said Parveen had accumulated debt running into several crores and was no longer in touch with him. He was unaware of the family’s whereabouts that day until the police arrived at his house around 4 am to deliver the grim news. He later learned that the family had attended a Bageshwar Dham event in Panchkula on Monday.

Sandeep Aggarwal, a cousin of Parveen who lives in Ludhiana, said Parveen had been struggling for years and often refused help when it was offered. At one point, his debt is believed to have reached between Rs 15 and 20 crore. Sandeep confirmed that Parveen left a note addressed to him, requesting that he conduct his last rites. The note also stated that no legal action should be taken against Parveen’s father-in-law.

Officials said the note also maintained that his last rites shouldn’t be conducted by his father-in-law, which indicated estrangement from family. Sandeep explained that Parveen once ran a factory in Baddi and owned flats and vehicles in Panchkula, but over time abandoned everything due to financial failure and had become reclusive. A decade ago, the family vanished from Panchkula, only to resurface in Dehradun, living in anonymity before again relocating.

Two handwritten notes found in car

Two handwritten notes were recovered from the car which stated the same thing. The police have not officially termed them suicide notes pending forensic analysis. Reportedly, the two notes were written so that if one is missed. While one of them was carefully placed on the dashboard, another was found inside some books in the car.

Sources said the notes held Parveen solely responsible for the incident and detailed the crushing weight of debt as a motive. There are mentions of the family being harassed and let down by affluent relatives who refused to assist them in their time of need.

The car was registered in the name of Gambhir Singh Negi, a resident of Dehradun’s Maldevta area. Negi told the authorities that he had met Parveen while working for an NGO, Wildlife Care Mission, and had helped him secure financing for the vehicle.

Police launch intensive probe

The Panchkula police have launched an intensive, multi-dimensional investigation. DCP (Crime) Amit Dahiya confirmed that a 360-degree probe was being conducted and that five police teams had been formed to explore every possible angle. Two teams had been sent to Dehradun and Pinjore. DCP Himadri Kaushik added that while initial observations pointed to suicide by poisoning, the exact cause of death would be confirmed only after forensic and autopsy reports were submitted.

Investigators found the outer cover of a bottle of Risnia syrup tucked into the car’s dashboard compartment. Medical professionals later confirmed that Risnia is a brand name for Risperidone, an antipsychotic medication commonly prescribed for conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe anxiety. The presence of this drug’s packaging has led officials to believe that someone in the family may have been undergoing treatment for a significant mental health issue. This detail has further deepened the complexity of the case, raising concerns about the psychological state of the family in the days before the incident.

Additionally, the police recovered several bottles of water, Lahori Jeera (a cumin-flavoured soft drink), and a powdered substance identified as sodium nitrate from the car. Sodium nitrate, when ingested in certain quantities, can be lethal. The authorities suspect it may have been used as the agent of poisoning. However, officials stated that the exact cause of death cannot be conclusively determined until post-mortem and toxicology reports were received. The recovered items were sent for chemical analysis to confirm their role, if any, in the apparent suicide.