BHIWANDI: Over a month after a woman and her three minor children went missing, they were found hanging from a tree in a Bhiwandi taluka of Thane district, barely 5 km from their home, on Thursday evening.
The woman allegedly took the drastic step as she was upset with her husband's second marriage. On seeing the bodies, the woman's husband and his second wife also tried to commit suicide by consuming poison. Both have been admitted to hospital and are said to be out of danger.
Meanwhile, acting on a complaint by the brother of the deceased woman, Padgha police have booked her husband, Shreepat Vakhare (35) and his second wife, Savita (30), for abetment to suicide.
The incident took place in Umbarkhand Pachhapur forest area. The deceased have been identified as Ranjana Vakhare (25), Darshana (12), Rohini (6) and Rohit (9).
The incident came to light when Shreepat's older brother went to the forest to collect wood and noticed the decomposed bodies. The deceased were identified from their clothes. On Friday, police visited the area with a forensic team and took the help of villagers to bring the bodies down. The bodies were sent for autopsy to JJ Hospital.
Preliminary probe has revealed Ranjana was not keeping good health. A senior official said as she was not able to work, Shreepat decided to marry another woman from the same village. Police said despite Ranjana's protests, Shreepat married Savita on September 16. An upset Ranjana left home with her children on October 20. Police said Shreepat had filed a missing case on October 21. From the highly decomposed condition of the bodies, police suspect Ranjana and the children ended their lives the day they left home itself.
Talking to TOI, Shreepat's mother Manda said, "After my daughter-in-law left home, we searched for her for an entire month and even posted their photographs everywhere. We had never imagined she would take such an extreme step."
Senior inspector Dinesh Katke said, "The complainant has alleged the accused used to harass his wife and despite her opposition, he got married again. Hence, she took the extreme step."
This is the second such incident in Thane rural in recent times. Last month, three people, including a tantrik in Shahapur, had committed suicide by hanging themselves from a tree purportedly to gain special powers.