On Saturday night, 54-year-old Manju Devi and her two daughters Anshika (26) and Ankita (30) died after inhaling toxic fumes from an angithi inside their home in Vasant Vihar.An investigation into the alleged triple suicide case in Vasant Vihar has revealed that the 54-year-old woman and her daughters had been planning to end their lives for days, said the police. The police added that they found purported suicide notes and a “warning” sign on the wall of the house saying “GAS CHAMBER”. The note taped to the wall of the house alerted people of the presence of hazardous gas in the house and gave instructions to open the windows and switch on the fan, said the police.
On Saturday night, 54-year-old Manju Devi and her two daughters Anshika (26) and Ankita (30) died after inhaling toxic fumes from an angithi inside their home in Vasant Vihar.
Officers investigating the case said that incident looks like a “suicide pact” as the family had sealed their window panes with foil and tape.
“Too much deadly gas…CO inside. Pls ventilate the room by opening the window and opening the fan. Do not light match, candle or anything ! Be careful while removing the curtain because room is full of hazardous gas. Do not inhale. Open the inside window from outside,” read the note taped on the wall of the house.
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Deputy commissioner of police (Southwest) Manoj C said: “Manju’s husband, who also owned the house, died in April 2021 of Covid and since then the family had been depressed. Manju was bedridden due to illness. Prima facie, it appears that they died due to suffocation”
The police received a PCR call about the incident around 8.55 pm Saturday after neighbours knocked on the door but no one answered. “The caller informed us that the house was locked from the inside and no one was opening the door. SHO (Vasant Vihar) along with his staff rushed to the spot and found the doors and windows closed from all the sides,” he said.
Police personnel managed to open the door and found that gas was also leaking from an LPG cylinder. “Our staff found that the nozzle was partially opened and the three victims were lying on the bed. Four suicide notes were recovered from their possession and three small candles, along with an angithi, were kept in the room,” the DCP said.
A forensic team was asked to collect evidence, including fingerprints, from the spot.
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