NEW DELHI: Crushed naphthalene balls and a strip of crepe bandage were what police found in the Malviya Nagar flat where two sisters were found dead and their mother unconscious on Thursday. Police suspect the 50-year-old woman, Sunita, killed her daughters Radhika (33) and Gunisha (28) and then tried to die by suicide. Police suspect that Gunisha was strangled with the crepe bandage. The elder daughter, Radhika, was smothered with a pillow. Cops said they found signs of struggle that indicated smothering.
The elder daughter was a special child. She used to assist a teacher working with specially-abled children, but quit working a few years ago. The younger daughter had completed a law course,” a source said.Sources added that the mixture of naphthalene balls may have been used to sedate one of the daughters, and Sunita may have consumed it as well. “These are our suspicions. We are awaiting the post-mortem reports of the sisters and medical reports of the woman, who was receiving treatment,” the source added.
Police also found cut marks on the hands of one of the daughters. When the cops entered the house through a ventilation window after breaking the glass pane, they found Sunita lying on the floor and Gunisha on a bed in a room.
Sunita’s husband had left for the garment shop that he runs in south Delhi. Several family members live in the same building where Sunita and her family occupied the ground floor.A senior police officer said they suspect Sunita first killed her daughters, then attempted suicide. “We learned that the family was not social and may have been dealing with some form of depression. All angles are being investigated, including possible domestic discord,” the officer said.
Neighbours in Malviya Nagar’s F Block seemed shocked. They described the mother and daughters as well-behaved and good natured, though they mostly kept to themselves. The family had lived in the area for the last 50 years. On Friday, senior officers visited the spot and spoke to family members for over an hour.Lalit, a neighbour, said Sunita was a caring mother and accompanied her daughters whenever they went out. “They mostly kept to themselves and rarely came out of their home,” he added
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