Evidence implies spiritual angle after 11 of family found dead in Delhi

New Delhi: The Delhi police on Sunday said that the 11 members of a family who were found dead in their flat probably observed some religious practices.

Ten of the bodies were found blindfolded and hanging from a railing in the house while one was found on the floor in New Delhi’s Burari area.

A police official said, "During a search of the house, certain handwritten notes were found which point towards observance of some definite spiritual/mystical practices by the whole family," reported news agency ANI.

He added, "Coincidentally, these notes have a strong similarity to the manner in which the mouth, eyes etc of the deceased were tied and taped."

Also Read: 11 of family found dead in Delhi; 10 hanging blindfolded, one on ground

The police said that these notes are being carefully investigated to further establish its links with the deaths.

The case has now been transferred to the Crime Branch.

The victims have been identified as Narayan Devi (77), her daughter Pratibha (57) and two sons--Bhavnesh (50) and Lalit Bhatia (45). Bhavnesh's wife Savita (48) and their three children--Meenu (23), Neetu (25) and Dhruv (15) were also found dead, police said, adding Lalit's wife Tina (42) along with their 15-year-old son Shivam was also among the dead.

Pratibha's daughter, Priyanka (33), who had got engaged last month and was supposed to get married by the end of this year, was also found hanging, they said.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had reached the spot to take a stock of the situation.

The family reportedly stayed at a double-storey home in Sant Nagar area of Burari and ran a grocery shop and plywood business.

The entire area was cordoned off on Sunday and police officials also examined CCTV footage for clues.

(With inputs from agencies)