Five of a family found dead in Mathura; police probe suicide, murder and occult angles

Five members of a family, including three children, were found dead under suspicious circumstances on Tuesday in Khapparpur village of Mahavan tehsil in Mathura district. The deceased include a husband, wife, and their three minor children. Police are currently treating the case as a suspected suicide, though investigations are also underway into possible murder and occult practices.

According to police, the bodies were found in different positions inside the house. The mother, one daughter, and the son were found lying on a bed, while the second daughter was found on a cot. The husband’s body was discovered on the floor. Bloodstains were also found at the scene.

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Preliminary investigations suggest that the husband, Manish (35), allegedly killed his wife, Seema, by crushing her head, then strangled the three children while they were asleep, and later died by electrocution. However, police have not ruled out other possibilities.

The incident came to light when the children were not seen in the morning. Manish’s brother Sudhir, who lives nearby, climbed over the main gate and broke open the room door, where he found all five family members dead. Police were immediately informed.

Police recovered three suicide notes from the house. One was written on the kitchen wall, stating that Manish and Seema had died by their own will and that no one should be harassed. Another note with similar content was found on paper. Additionally, a 48-second video was recovered from Manish’s mobile phone, in which he spoke about committing suicide.

Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said the police are also investigating the angle of occult practices. In this connection, a priest from a local temple, where Manish frequently visited, has been taken into custody for questioning.

Manish was a farmer and had recently sold a plot of land for Rs 19 lakh, of which Rs 12 lakh had already been credited to his bank account. He lived separately from his two brothers in the same village. Manish was married eight years ago and lived with his wife and their three children — daughters Honey and Priyanshi, and two-year-old son Pankaj — in the house where the incident occurred. The case is under investigation.