Tamil Nadu: 5 Of Same Family Die By Suicide In Car, Probe Underway | A Flashback Of The Burari Case

In a tragic incident reminiscent of the 2018 mass suicide horror in Delhi's Burari region, a family of five allegedly died by suicide in Tamil Nadu's Pudukkottai district on Thursday. According to police, all five dead bodies were discovered in an abandoned car.

After a preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the family hailed from Salem, about 200 km from the city where they were found. The local police later identified the victims as 50-year-old businessman Manikandan, his wife Nithya, mother Saroja, and their two children.

The investigation so far reportedly suggested that the victims had consumed poison. The bodies have been sent to Pudukkottai Government Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

As per reports, the car along with the bodies within was found parked on the Trichy-Karaikudi National Highway on Wednesday morning. After seeing it there being parked at the same location since the previous evening, the local people reportedly alerted the police.

A note was recovered from the car. However, the reason behind the suicides is yet to be ascertained. The police is also probing the angle of pressure from money lenders as Manikandan, a metal trader, reportedly was in debt.

Occult, psychology and other angles: Burari mass suicide in 2018

In a bone-chilling and one of the most intriguing police cases in the national capital, 11 members of the Chundwat family in Delhi's Burari region died by suicide in 2018. The police discovered the bodies of the 11 family members on the morning of July 1, 2018.

While the body of Narayan Devi was found on the floor, the others were all discovered hanging from an iron grille, blindfolded and the hands and feet tied.

Besides Devi, the rest of the deceased were later identified as Devi's sons Bhavnesh and Lalit, daughter Pratibha, Bhavnesh's wife Savita and their children Nitu, Monu and Dhruv, Lalit's wife Teena and son Shivam and Pratibha's daughter Priyanka.

Initially, a murder case was registered. However, subsequent investigations and recovery of registers and a diary that detailed a set of rituals to be followed shifted the direction of the case. During investigation, police recovered a diary from inside the house that described the manner in which the family members were to hang themselves.

From occults and superstition to psychology and latest investigative techniques- police delved into various angles to crack the case.

However, after a three-year-long investigation, Delhi Police finally closed the case as a family suicide pact and ruled out the possibility of any foul play.

Rerun of the Burari mass suicide horror

Rerunning the spine-chilling 2018 family suicide case in Delhi's Burari region, 9 members of the same family in Maharashtra's Sangli reportedly died by suicide. According to police, the absence of any external injuries indicated that it was a family suicide pact and the deaths were caused by poison consumption. 

The nine bodies were discovered by police from houses of two brothers, located 1.5 km apart, in Mhaisal village. As many as 6 bodies were recovered from the first house, and 3 from the second. 

Commenting on the matter, Ashok Virkar, Deputy superintendent of police (Miraj division) told Indian Express, “We have found what appears to be a suicide note. The nine deceased belong to the families of two brothers – a veterinarian and a teacher – based at Mhaisal. All the initial clues point to the deaths being the result of a suicide pact.”

In another harrowing incident reminiscent of the 2018 Burari case, the bodies of a farmer, his wife, and their three children were found in their home in Madhya Pradesh's Ravdi village.

Further investigation later identified the deceased as Rakesh Dodwa (27), his wife Lalita Dodwa (25), and their sons Prakash (7) and Akshay (5). As per reports, police discovered the bodies of Rakesh, Lalita, and their two sons hanging from the ceiling, while their daughter Laxmi (9) was discovered lying on the floor.