Day after Burari deaths, autopsy reveals six of 11 family members died of hanging

The autopsy has confirmed death because of hanging for six of the 11 members of the Bhatia family who were found dead in their home in north Delhi’s Burari area on Sunday.

Police sources mention ‘ligature hanging’ as the reason behind the deaths and that no signs of struggle were found. The post mortem of the remaining five bodies is expected to be completed on Monday.

Ten of the 11 members, blindfolded, gagged and hands tied behind, were found hanging from an iron grill while an elderly woman was found dead on the floor in another room.

The recoveries of the notes, the signs of a ‘hawan’(a ritual involving burning of offerings such as ghee and grains) in the house and the manner in which the bodies were found have given police enough reasons to suspect that the family might have died in a religious ritual gone wrong.

All the notes of the ritual seem to be made by one person. Police said they will be sending the notes for forensic examination to identify the author and to ensure they were not placed to mislead the investigators.

Police have registered a murder case and are probing the case from all angles.

Neighbours confirmed that the family was religious. “Every member of the family prayed thrice every day,” said Praveen Mittal, a close friend of the family.

Another major crime to have rocked the Burari neighbourhood had taken place in May last year when six members of a family were murdered, allegedly by a family friend who wanted to take over their property.