The Shivaji Nagar police on Saturday received medical reports confirming that the wife and children of Shakeel Khan, who were found dead on Friday, died due to poisoning. The reason behind the extreme step, however, is still being investigated.
Khan, 34, who ran a grocery shop in his area, lived with his wife Raziya, 25, son Sarfaraz, 7, and daughter Asiya, 3 in Govandi. The entire family was found dead in the residence on Friday morning, and the police have for the moment registered Accidental Death Reports (ADRs) in connection with the incident.
The police said that while Khan was found hanging, his wife and children were lying lifeless on the floor.
“We found a bottle of phenyl near the bodies and on Saturday, the doctors who conducted the post mortem examination sent a preliminary report saying that there were signs of death due to ingestion of poison. The bottle and the reports indicate that they were poisoned to death,” said senior police inspector Arjun Rajane, Shivaji Nagar police station.
The doctors, however, reserved their final opinion till the viscera of the deceased are forensically analysed.
An officer who is part of the investigation said, “There were no signs of a scuffle in the house, which indicates that the wife and children were not administered the poison by force. Prima facie, this seems to have been a suicide pact.”
Meanwhile, the police on Saturday conducted inquiries with Shakeel’s brother, who found the bodies, and Raziya’s parents, but were unable to unearth any motive behind the extreme step.
“Shakeel’s brother had met him just the previous night and was with him till 1 a.m. on Friday. He has said that he had no reason to suspect at the time that anything was amiss. Raziya’s parents have said that she never once complained of any marital discord or any other problems to them and that, by all accounts, it was a happy marriage,” another officer said.
The police have also spoken to several of the Khans’ neighbours, who said that the family kept to themselves most of the time.
“Khan only interacted with a select few people in the locality and that too only occasionally. Raziya didn’t even use a cell phone, as far as the neighbours knew,” the officer said.
The police will on Sunday start inquiries with Khan’s business associates to find out if there were any problems in his business or any disputes that he may have been involved with.
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