Rangpuri deaths: Police to study Burari case to probe occult practices angle

The Rangpuri case, in which a family of five was found dead in their home in South West Delhi, has sparked shock and concern across the city.

The police are investigating whether the deaths were the result of a mass suicide or if the father, a 46-year-old man, killed his four daughters before taking his own life.

The Delhi Police will also 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 in South West Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area, officials said on Sunday.

They said 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.

The CCTV footage from September 24, the last day neighbours saw the family, shows Heeralal walking with a large bag, which the police suspect contained a box of sweets. Preliminary investigations indicate that the sweets may have been laced with poison, as officers recovered a box of sweets containing pesticide and a suspicious liquid from the family’s third-floor flat in Rangpuri.

The incident came to light when neighbours reported a foul smell, prompting the police to break into the home, which had been bolted from the inside. No external injuries were found on the bodies, though blood was visible near the father’s mouth, according to earlier police statements.

Neighbours described the family as reclusive, noting that the daughters had medical issues and that their mother had recently passed away from cancer in August. The father, a carpenter, had stopped working in January and was reportedly facing financial strain.

Two of the four daughters were differently abled, with the eldest being visually impaired. However, the police are investigating the specific nature of their physical disabilities. The police are analysing phone records and bank accounts to piece together the events leading to the tragedy.

Neighbours reported that the daughters rarely left the house, and Heeralal seldom engaged in conversation with anyone. A neighbour noted, “Even when anyone tried to converse with him, he would say a few words and then leave. They lived a very private life.”