New Delhi: Police have released a partial autopsy report of Sunday’s 11 mysterious deaths of the Bhatia family in Delhi’s Burari area.
The report mentions ‘ligature hanging’ as the reason behind 6 deaths and also stated that no signs of struggle were found. The autopsy report for the remaining bodies has not been made public yet and is expected to be out on Monday.
All 11 members of the family except the oldest, a 77 year old woman, were found hanging from an iron grill in the house. They were gagged and blindfolded with their hands tied behind. The elderly woman, Narayani Devi was found dead on the floor.
Police have recovered notes and other pieces of evidence that show burning of ghee and grains which suggest signs of a ‘hawan’. That the family could have died in a religious ritual gone wrong has not been ruled out. The notes will be verified by a forensic team and initial observations suggest that they have been written by a single person.
“Every member of the family prayed thrice daily,” informed Praveen Mittal, a close family friend.
According to reports, police are also on the lookout for a tantric named ‘Baba Janegadi’.
Among the dead are Narayan Devi’s daughter Pratibha (57), sons Bhavnesh (50), and Lalit (45). Bhavnesh’s wife Savita (48) and their children Meenu (23), Neetu (25), and Dhruv (15) were also found hanging. Lalit Bhatia’s wife Tina (42) and their son Shivam (15) were also found dead.
