A family of three was found to have committed suicide in their Cuffe parade residence on Friday morning. The head of the family left a suicide note detailing reasons behind taking the extreme step. In the note, he blamed around 60 people for pushing him to commit suicide.
Cuffe Parade police said the deceased were identified as Praveen Patel (40), his wife Veena (35) and their son Prabhu (11). All three bodies were found in a highly decomposed state in their house in Fishermen’s Colony near Badhwar Park in Cuffe Parade.
The police said that the incident came to light on Friday morning after one of their neighbours detected a foul smell emanating from their house.
When repeated knocks on the door did not elicit any response, the neighbour informed the police and a team was sent to the spot. The door was broken down and the three were rushed to GT Hospital, where they were declared dead before admission, police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Manoj Kumar Sharma said, “We found a suicide note in the house in which Praveen had written down his reasons for the suicide pact. The note began by mentioning his young daughter, who died a month ago from cancer. It also mentioned the extreme poverty they were facing and frequent disagreements with neighbours in the colony.”
‘Will verify facts’
Mr. Sharma said that Patel had named around 60 people in the suicide note, holding them all responsible for the family taking the extreme step.
The officer said, “We cannot book all the people named in the suicide note without verifying the facts. An Accidental Death Report has been registered and we are conducting further inquiries.”
The police suspect that the parents first killed their son before taking their own lives on Thursday. The police said the heat in the cramped house might have speeded up the decomposition process.
Praveen was the sole breadwinner of the family and did odd jobs to earn a living. The family often faced severe financial problems. Neighbours refused to speak about the family.