In a development that has left even the police touched, the husband and father of the Kandivali murder-suicide victims on Friday claimed the bodies of not just his wife and daughters, but also their alleged killer and conducted his last rites.
The victims were found dead in the Dalvi building at the Dena Bank junction in Kandivali (west) in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The police had identified the deceased as Kiran Dalvi (46), her daughters Muskan (21) and Bhumi (17), and the family’s driver Shivdayal Sen (60). Based on the condition of the bodies and suicide notes found at the spot, the police believe that Kiran and Muskan were murdered, after which Bhumi and Sen died by suicide.
Police officials said that Kiran’s husband Ashish, who shuttles between Indore and Mumbai, reached the city early on Friday morning and met the investigating team. Subsequently, he proceeded to the Shatabdi Hospital.
“Ashish claimed all the four bodies, including Sen’s. He said that Sen had been a loyal employee of his family for the last ten years and had no one else to conduct his last rites,” said police inspector Deepshikha Ware, Kandivali police station.
The last rites of all the four deceased were conducted on Friday night.
Meanwhile, the police are still working on ascertaining the exact sequence of events on the night of the crime as well as the reasons behind it.
“We tried seeking any information from Ashish that could help us in our probe but he was grief-stricken and in no condition to speak. He has agreed to come down to the police station on Monday,” an officer who is part of the investigation said.
He added that the contents of the suicide notes found on Sen’s person also need to be verified and Ashish might be the only person who could help with this.
“When we spoke with him on the phone on Thursday, he was stunned and said that Sen was his most trusted employee, which is why he had asked him to be with his wife and daughters,” the officer said.
The police are still not sure as to whether the crime was pre-planned or committed in a fit of anger. Post-mortem reports have only stated that Kiran and Muskan died of slash wounds, inflicted by sickle recovered from the spot, while Bhumi and Sen died of asphyxia.
“The building has no CCTV cameras and although there are quite a few cameras around the building, they will not help us ascertain what happened inside. We are conducting investigations with all angles and possibilities in mind,” said senior police inspector Dinkar Jadhav, Kandivali police station.
