Six members of a family, including three children, were found dead in a parked car in Panchkula last night. The seventh member, a man, was found sitting outside the car, claiming to die in next five minutes. Preliminary investigation suggests that the family was under heavy debt and had died together by suicide.
The car, parked outside a house, had raised suspicion among local residents. When, to their shock, they found the bodies inside the car, they rushed them to the hospital and informed the police.
On Monday night, Praveen Mittal, 42, and family were reportedly returning from an event in Panchkula to their home in Dehradun. They had attended a spiritual programme at the Bageshwar Dham. Late at night, the family allegedly consumed poison and died by suicide.
A local resident was on his night walk when he spotted a car, having Uttarakhand number plate, parked behind his car. A man, believed to be Praveen Mittal, was sitting by the car, on the pavement.
“What stood apart for us was a towel hanging from the car,” said a resident who spotted the vehicle. “I, and my brother, approached the man and asked him about his whereabouts. He said, the family was returning from Bageshwar Dham. Since they didn’t find any hotel, they decided to spend the night in the car. I asked him to move the car to the market area,” he added.
The man got up to move the car but the local was not convinced. He returned to the car and peeped inside and what he saw was horrifying – six dead bodies and a stinking car.
“I saw six people lying flat. They had vomited on each other. The car was stinking. I pulled the man away and asked what the matter was. He then informed that the family has died in a suicide pact and he will die too, in five minutes. The man claimed to be under huge debt,” the local resident recalled.
The family was rushed to the hospital but were declared dead. The man could be saved had the ambulance arrived on time, said the local.
The dead have been identified as Praveen Mittal, 42, his elderly parents, wife and three young children – two girls and a boy.
Panchkula Deputy Commissioner of Police Himadri Kaushik and Deputy Commissioner of Police Law and Order Amit Dahiya were among police officers that reached the spot and began an investigation.
“We received information that six people have been brought to Ojas Hospital. When we reached there, we learnt they were declared dead,” said Himadri Kaushik.
“Another person was brought to the Civil Hospital, Sector 6. He has also been declared dead. Some facts make it clear it is a case of suicide. We are collecting scientific evidence to assess the matter,” she added.
The police have found a suicide note, the details of which are yet to be disclosed. It is believed that the family was under heavy debt and a financial crisis.
The bodies have been sent to the mortuary of a private hospital.