Under financial distress, a 45-year-old man, his wife and another woman allegedly jumped to their death from the eighth floor of their building in Indirapuram after the couple killed their teenage son and daughter, police said on Tuesday.
The man identified as businessman Gulshan Vasudeva, his wife Praveen and their manager (work partner) Sanjana jumped to their death in the early hours of Tuesday.
“The couple killed their son Hritik (14) and daughter Hritika (17) by injecting them with poisonous substance on Monday night. They also killed their pet rabbit,” said Maneesh Mishra, Ghaziabad City Superintendent of Police (SP).
Police said Hritika was pursuing a fashion designing course while Hritik was studying in Class IX. “The incident took place after an altercation between the man, his wife and manager (working partner) over a monetary dispute involving more than Rs 2 crore,” said the SP.
“During initial investigation, it was revealed that Sanjana lived with the couple and a possibility of a quarrel over an extramarital affair cannot be ruled out. Though initial probe suggest that Sanjana was second wife of Gulshan but their family members denied it,” said a senior police official.
“Police has recovered a suicide note. They also found a few lines written on the walls by the children. The family has held Rakesh Verma, brother-in-law, responsible for the extreme step. The family had also pasted Rs 500 notes on the wall and wrote that they all should be cremated together. The room has been sealed for forensic examination. The man, his wife and the other woman were admitted to hospital where they were declared brought dead,” said the SP.
Police said Gulshan faced financial problems as Rakesh, a resident of Shalimar Garden in Sahibabad, had taken Rs 2 crore from him to invest in real estate but failed to hand over the property.
Police said whenever Gulshan asked him for the money, he would give cheques to him which would bounce.
Gulshan had also lodged an FIR in 2015 against Rakesh at Sahibabad Police Station after which he along with his mother were jailed, said the SP.
“The prime suspect, Rakesh, is absconding. Police teams have been formed to trace the suspect,” said the police officer.
Meanwhile, a police official privy to investigation told The Pioneer that the family had planned to commit suicide days before the incident took place. “On Monday they cleared dues of their house maid, stating to her that they are leaving this rented accommodation. The family also distributed their clothes to the poor people in the area before committing suicide on Tuesday morning,” said the police official.