Ranchi: 5 family members commit suicide after harassment by daughter-in-law

Ranchi: Five persons of the family of a retired army doctor were found dead at a flat in Kokar area of Ranchi on Sunday afternoon.

According to reports, police said that, prima facie, it seemed to be a case of suicide pact between the family members, who were feeling tortured and threatened by the daughter-in-law of the former Army doctor.

The Army doctor himself was grievously injured after stabbing himself, and his condition is critical, said the reports.

Dr Sukanto Sarkar’s family was staying in a flat on 10th floor of Rivisera Apartment in Kokar area, which is owned by their relative, Dr S Chaudhary, a popular doctor in the city. Around noon, Chaudhary called up his relatives around noon for a meeting, but no one picked up the call. When Chaudhury reached the house and opened it with a duplicate key, he found five bodies and Sukanto desperately injured.

“Four bodies — that of Anjana, Momita and Samita and Sunita — were found on one bed in a room, while that of Sameer Sarkar was found on a bed box in another room,” a policeman was quoted as saying.

Suicide notes by all the five victims have been found by the police. All of them have similar messages saying that the torture and mental harassment being faced by them from their daughter-in-law had become too much to bear, and hence they had decided to end their lives.

The police have also recovered a syringe and vial of injection containing a death-causing medicine. Also, a vial of anaesthesia has been recovered. The police have also recovered a blood-stained knife from one of the bathrooms, said reports. Sukanto used the knife to stab himself.

Sukanto and the other family members had submitted a written complaint in Lower Bazar police station area, but the daughter-in-law, who was fighting a custody battle over kids with her husband in a divorce case, had threatened to charge the family with a false case of dowry harassment.

Further probe is on in the matter.