Mumbai : Four planned suicides including that of two siblings, their mother and her live-in partner shocked Mumbai on Saturday.
The brother-sister committed suicide in a flat in Andheri Lokhandwala where they were working as domestic helps while their mother and her partner ended their lives at the latter’s residence in the same area.
On late Saturday night, the police arrested the employer of the siblings for allegedly harassing and molesting the sister.
The four had planned the suicide and recorded videos on a mobile phone narrating each of their respective reasons for ending their lives. While the sister claimed harassment and molestation, the brother claimed that he was repeatedly beaten up by the employer. The mother said that she was upset about the fact that her children were being harassed constantly whereas her partner gave his illness as the reason.
The first suicide came to light when the owner of the flat, Tinksing Singh, found Bharti Pal (25) and her brother Somnath (20) hanging in the servant’s room attached to the kitchen of the flat. They were working with Singh for the past 15 years.
Singh told the police that when he woke up in the morning, his bedroom door was locked from outside. One of his relatives who was also present in the flat, was locked similarly. Singh further told the police that he initially tried to call out to the watchman but after his screams went unanswered, he pushed the door hard several times and it broke open. He then noticed the two hanging from the iron hooks on the ceiling of the room.
In his initial statement to the police, he said that the siblings allegedly used to have frequent fights with their mother, Shikha (45), a divorcee as they were upset about her involvement with a businessman, Manoj Patel (50), whom she had been living with in another building situated a kilometer away. He told the police that this could have led to the drastic step.
The siblings’ mother had earlier been living in the same flat with her children. However, she had recently moved out and had started living with Patel.
The police did not find any suicide note from the spot where the siblings had committed suicide. However, when they tried to contact Shikha, they were unable to reach her. The police immediately went to Patel’s residence where she was staying. When they rang the doorbell there was no response. Subsequently they broke open the door and were shocked to discover them hanging in the kitchen of his flat.
The police here found a suicide note written by Bharti. The suicide note alleged that her (Bharti’s) employer had been harassing her to marry him and had also molested her on several occasions. During further search, the police found Bharti’s phone on which several videos were recorded narrating the reasons for the suicides.
The Oshiwara police have registered a case against Singh under IPC sections 306 (Abetment of suicide) and 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) and have arrested Singh. “We are investigating into the matter and are also uncertain if Shikha was married to Patel yet,” said an official associated with the Oshiwara police.
M D Wavle, inspector, Oshiwara police station confirmed the suicides.
