Pimpri-Chinchwad: The wife and daughter of a 50-year-old man, who allegedly attempted suicide along with him at their home in Morwadi, died during treatment at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital, taking the death toll in the incident to three.
The deceased have been identified as Vinod Pillai (50), his wife Shailaja (45), and their daughter Purnima (19). Vinod was declared dead after being brought to the hospital on Saturday, while Shailaja and Purnima, who were admitted to the intensive care unit, later succumbed to their injuries during treatment.
According to police, the family was found unconscious inside their apartment at Karishma Glory in Morwadi after Shailaja failed to report to work. Staff from the international school where she taught were unable to contact her and made further enquiries, which led to the discovery of the incident.
A handwritten suicide note was recovered from the flat. Police said the note stated that the family had taken the extreme step due to financial difficulties and that no one should be held responsible for their deaths.
Preliminary investigation suggests the family generated poisonous fumes by placing a toxic substance on burning coal inside the house. The three allegedly inhaled the fumes and lost consciousness. Police are awaiting forensic and post-mortem reports to confirm the exact cause of death.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandip Atole had earlier said the family was originally from Kerala and had been living in Morwadi since 2023. Vinod had recently lost his job at a private company, while Shailaja worked as a teacher and Purnima was a college student.
Police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and are continuing their investigation. Officers have seized the mobile phones of all three deceased and are examining whether there was any abetment or harassment that may have led to the incident. Investigators are also checking whether the family had searched online for methods of suicide before taking the extreme step.
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