Man, four daughters found dead in south-west Delhi home

The decomposed bodies of a 46-year-old man and his four daughters, aged between 20 and 26, were recovered from their rented accommodation in south-west Delhi’s Mahipalpur, the police said on Saturday. Inquest proceedings have been initiated, and a medical board has been constituted for the post-mortem examination, said a senior officer.

The bodies were discovered on Friday when the building’s caretaker informed the owner about a foul smell emanating from their flat, following which the authorities were informed. A police team broke open the front door with the help of Delhi Fire Services personnel and found the body of the man, identified as Heeralal Sharma, in one room and those of his daughters — Neetu, 26, Nikki, 24, Neeru, 23, and Nidhi, 20 — in the other room.

The area residents said Sharma, whose wife died of cancer a year back, and his daughters rarely stepped out of their house. Sharma was last seen with one of his daughters on Wednesday, said a resident.

DCP (South West) Rohit Meena said medical experts have been called to determine the sequence of events that led to the deaths. “A post-mortem examination will confirm the exact time and cause of death. All possible angles are being investigated,” the DCP said.

He added that based on the statements of the victims’ close relatives and neighbours, it appeared that Sharma, who used to work at a medical facility for a monthly salary of ₹25,000, had stopped going to the office in January this year to take care of his daughters, two of whom were disabled. However, residents said all four of Sharma’s children had mobility issues.

Neighbours in shock

A day after the bodies were seized from the two-room flat on the third floor of a four-storeyed building, his neighbours expressed shock and disbelief.

Vimla, 45, who has lived in a one-bedroom flat in the building for 10 years, said, “Heeralal didn’t talk much. He kept to himself and spent most of his time on the treatment of his wife. After she died, his daughters started falling sick one after the other. Then he started devoting himself to their treatment.”

Seema, another neighbour, said Heeralal started withdrawing himself due to health issues of his wife and children. “When his wife was alive, his house was in a much better state. After her death, he would buy food and water from outside to feed his children. For hospital visits, he would carry them in his arms from the fourth floor. He never sought or accepted our help,” she said.

Those in distress may contact Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health suicide prevention helpline 011-40769002.

Published - September 29, 2024 01:28 am IST