Woman, four kids found dead, cops suspect suicide

JAISALMER: In a horrifying incident, a 27-year-old woman was found hanging inside her house, while bodies of her four children were discovered inside separate drums in Barmer on Saturday.
According to police authorities, Urmila Meghwal is suspected to have killed her four children: Bhavna (8), Vikram (7), Vimla (6), and Manisha (4), before taking her own life by hanging herself from a chunari inside a makeshift store room where grains were kept.
However, officials have claimed that the assessment is based only on prima facie probe. "While Urmila's death initially appears to be a case of suicide, we cannot confirm anything until we have completed investigation. The forensic examinations and post-mortems are crucial in determining whether this is indeed a case of suicide or if there are other factors involved," stated an official involved in the case.
The police said that while locals claimed that the woman was pregnant, a post-mortem report (PMR) will conclude it.
Urmila lived in Mandali village of Barmer. She had been married to Jetha Ram Meghwal since 2014. "Jetha Ram works as a labourer in the local mining areas, and authorities have not discovered any evidence suggesting marital disputes between the couple," the official said.
The tragic incident came to light in the afternoon when Urmila's mother-in-law began searching for her. She entered a makeshift storage unit in the house where grains were kept, she saw Urmila hanging from the ceiling. She called other relatives and locals who continued their search and the bodies of her four children inside drums used to store grains. The bodies have been transferred to the local hospital's mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place on Sunday morning to determine the exact cause of death. A team of senior DSPs arrived at the scene to assess the situation and speak with local residents.