Murder Or Suicide? Five Of Family Found Dead In Saharanpur Home, Three Pistols Recovered

Saharanpur: A shocking incident has come to light in the Sarsawa area of Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, where the bodies of five members of a family were found inside their Kaushik Vihar Colony house on Tuesday morning.

The deceased included a revenue official (Ameen) posted in Nakur tehsil, his wife, their two sons, and his elderly mother. Three pistols were found near the bodies, all of which bore gunshot wounds, triggering panic in the locality.

After receiving the information, senior police officers, including Saharanpur Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Abhishek Singh, District Magistrate Manish Bansal, SSP Ashish Tiwari and SP (Rural) Sagar Jain reached the spot. According to the police, the case is being probed from multiple angles, including murder, suicide and possible external involvement.

Victims Identified

According to Superintendent of Police (SP) (Rural) Sagar Jain, the deceased have been identified as Ashok Rathi (40), his wife Ajanta (37), his mother Vidyawati (70) and their two sons Kartik (16) and Dev (13).

Ashok had joined the service as a revenue official in Nakur tehsil on compassionate grounds after his father’s death. His younger son, Dev, was a Class IX student at a public school, while Kartik was in Class X at an intermediate college.

According to locals, the family had recently constructed the house.

How The Bodies Were Discovered?

According to a relative, Ashok’s sister’s family lives barely 200 m away. When Ashok did not answer repeated phone calls on Tuesday morning, his brother-in-law sent his son to check on the family.

After receiving no response at the door, neighbours gathered and forced their way into the house. When the relatives and neighbours reached the upper floor, they found all five bodies lying in a room.

Pistols Found At The Scene

Police said Ashok and his wife were found lying on the floor, while his mother and the two children were on the bed. Three loaded, country-made pistols were recovered from near Ashok’s body, believed to have been used in the incident.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashish Tiwari said three pistols were found lying on the right side of Ashok’s body.

Prima facie, it appeared that the shots were fired at close range, possibly with the gun placed against the head. Initial findings suggested there was no major struggle, indicating that Ashok may have shot his family members before killing himself. However, this remains under investigation.

Suicide Or Murder: Multiple Angles Under Probe

Police are examining Ashok’s medical and mental health history to determine whether he was suffering from depression or any psychological condition that may have contributed to the incident. Also, the police are trying to determine if a suicide note has been left.

Angles Under Probe

• Firstly, the police suspect that the revenue official may have first shot his mother, wife and two sons before turning the gun on himself.
• Secondly, the police officials are also examining whether the family was under debt, facing job-related stress, domestic disputes or was there some mental pressure that could have led to such a step.
• Also, investigators are probing whether a quarrel could have broken out within the family, during which someone opened fire in a fit of rage.
• Another angle the police are looking at is the possibility of an outsider, who may have entered the house and killed all five members.
• Angles related to personal enmity, financial transactions, or disputes are also being investigated.

CCTV footage from nearby areas is being reviewed, and neighbours are being questioned to help the authorities gain clarity on the case and piece together the sequence of events.

A forensic team is also conducting a detailed examination of the crime scene. Samples have been collected, and all five bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. The house has been sealed to ensure the investigation is not affected.

Locals And Leaders Express Shock

Neighbours described the family as peace-loving and said they had never been involved in any disputes. “Their behaviour was normal, and they mixed well with everyone,” a local resident said.

Nakur MLA Mukesh Chaudhary and Congress MP Imran Masood visited the spot and expressed grief over the tragedy. Calling it deeply disturbing, Masood said the death of an entire family raises serious questions for society.

With no immediate clues emerging, police said the motive behind the deaths remains unclear and will be established only after post-mortem reports and forensic analysis.

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