The Bhatias would commence business at their grocery store at six every morning at Burari's Sant Nagar area. But on Sunday, when the store remained closed till 7:30 am, a neighbour and family friend Gurucharan Singh went to check on the family. The door to the house was open. Upon entering, the 79-year-old could not believe his eyes when he saw the bodies hanging from the ceiling. "They were blindfolded and their mouths were taped," he said. Singh immediately made a PCR call. Within a short span of time, the entire area was flooded with onlookers, who had come from different parts of the city just to witness the incident, which according to them was "rare of the rarest". "We have never heard about anything like this. The entire family is dead. It can not be a case of suicide. It's a well-planned case of mass murder," said Amreek Singh, son of Gurucharan Singh. "My father is in a shock. We have sent him to our relative's place. He could not utter a word after he saw the bodies," he said. Amreek's son Jatin, a class X student, used to play cricket with Dhruv and Shivam, the two minors among the deceased. "I saw them sitting outside their shop at around 11 pm last night. They asked me to join them for a cricket match but I had some work so I could not. They were not looking any different," he recalled. The family used to run a grocery shop and a plywood shop in the locality. "They were very kind and religious people. All of them used to perform puja every night after work. It's impossible to believe that such a religious and prosperous family can even think of committing suicide," said Bhawani Devi, another local. According to locals, Bhatia's youngest son Lalit (45) was the most religious. He had once gone on a 'moun vrat' for a few weeks because of his religious beliefs. Meanwhile, the mysterious death of a family has created terror among locals in Sant Nagar. "If a family of 11 can be killed like this, what about us? We are a family of three. This is so scary," said Kuldeep Singh (38). Singh's fear was echoed by several others. "The police need to tighten up the security here. We can't sleep in peace for months now," said Shankar Singh, another local. RELIGIOUS FAMILY The family used to run a grocery shop and a plywood shop in the locality. Locals said they were very kind and religious people. All of them used to perform puja every night after work.<doc-sep>Sant Nagar Burari Deaths: Neighbours and relatives outside the family’s home in Burari. (Photo: Gajendra Yadav) Sant Nagar Burari Deaths: Neighbours and relatives outside the family’s home in Burari. (Photo: Gajendra Yadav) Less than two weeks ago, the Bhatia family celebrated the engagement of Priyanka (33) at a banquet hall in outer Delhi. On Sunday morning, Priyanka and 10 others from her family were found hanging from a railing at their two-storey house in Burari. “The wedding was to take place in November; the family was very happy… we all sang and danced at the engagement. Nothing seemed out of place at the time,” said Ketan Nagpal (29), a maternal cousin of the deceased. Nagpal rushed to Delhi from Panipat on Sunday afternoon after hearing about the death of his grandmother, two maternal uncles and aunts, and five cousins. Also present at the spot was Priyanka’s fiance’s family. Wailing in disbelief, one of them told The Indian Express, “Priyanka had done her MBA and was working in Noida… the family was very kind and religious, and had no financial constraints… We were all busy figuring out the wedding details. We are devastated”. Narayani Devi (77), the matriarch of the house who was found dead, had five children. Three of them, Bhavnesh (50), Lalit (45) and Pratibha (57), were among the victims. Bhavnesh’s wife Savita (48) and their children Nidhi (25), Maneka (22) and Dhruv (15); Lalit’s wife Teena (42) and son Shivam (15) were also found dead. While Maneka was pursuing her MSc and working towards a career in Forensics, Nidhi was a Delhi University student. READ | 11 of family found dead with blindfolds in Burari, cops point to notes on ‘mystical practices’ Devi’s other daughter Sujata came from Panipat, while her son Titu arrived from Kota late Sunday evening. The victims were taken in three ambulances to a nearby government hospital for post-mortem. The family owned two shops, a general store and a plywood store, which they ran from under their house. Charanjeet, a relative said, “There was no problem between the siblings. Bhavnesh ran the general store while Lalit ran the plywood one. Their business was flourishing… they were getting the house renovated, in fact. There was no financial crunch.” READ | Burari deaths: Didn’t open shop or take calls, says 79-year-old who found bodies A neighbour, Kuldeep Singh (38), who was one of the people to see the bodies, said: “Everyone had immense respect for Bhavnesh. He would keep the store open till 11 pm and keep an eye on what was happening in the lane… if there were any anti-social elements roaming around or boys troubling girls, he would intervene.” Manoj Bhatia, a relative, said, “They were a very religious family. They would hold a bhajan mandli at night.” Shocked by the incident, a neighbour said, “I used to go for walks with Savita and Teena…they got along well with each other. We shared everything and there was no indication of anything amiss. It was a happy joint family. I have lost my friends.” Jatin Singh, a Class X student, said, “Dhruv and Shivam were in Class IX and went to Virendra Public School in Timarpur… we used to play cricket at night. They were very obedient. On Saturday at 11 pm, they asked me to play, but I was too tired.”<doc-sep>The bodies of 11 members of a Delhi family were found in their home in Burari's Sant Nagar area on Sunday morning. Ten of them were hanging from an iron-mesh in the ceiling in one room. The body of a 77-year-old woman was lying on the floor in another. The police suspect spiritual belief may have pushed the deceased to take their own lives, as handwritten notes that mention the occult and "ways to attain salvation" have been found.<doc-sep>Among the 11 who were killed in Delhi's Burari on Sunday, the eldest member Narayan Devi committed suicide with the help of a belt, CNN-News 18 reported. Police officers have not found the belt yet. Auto refresh feeds Media reports on Monday said that the police has completed the postmortem of six bodies and found hanging to be the cause of death. According to ANI , police sources mentioned 'ligature hanging' as the reason behind the death and found no signs of struggle. The family members had donated their eyes. The Delhi Police has found 11 pipes in the house where 11 members of family were found dead in Delhi's Burari area. According to reports, these pipes were found near the entrance. The police is also speaking to priests and pandits. Officials are investigating if the deaths were related to suicide and superstition. A report by the sub-divisonal magistrate to the crime branch says that the entire family had books on 'occult rituals' and religious practices, and which they performed as well. 4. If the elderly woman can't stand, you can “make her go to sleep” in the next room. 3. Rituals should be followed seven days before killing. Rituals should be strictly followed, if the spirit invoked within these days, “finish your work” the following day. 2. Tie cloth well, nothing but zero should be visible. Along with rope use saree or dupatta. 10. Everyone should have same thoughts. If you are able to do this, it will be quite fruitful. 9. It should be done between 12-1 am. Hawan/puja should be done before that. 8. The more dedication one shows in the process, the better will be the result. 6. After tying the hands, if a piece of cloth remains, use it to blindfold people. Except the 77-yr-old woman, all the bodies were found hanging from the ceiling, most of them blindfolded with their hands tied behind their back. According to NDTV , the bodies will be cremated on Monday. An English daily and its corresponding news channel carried the photographs of family members hanging with their eyes blindfolded and has drawn huge criticism from several quarters. Some of the notes stated that "one will not die" but attain something "great", the officer said. Some of the notes stated that "one will not die" but attain something "great", the officer said. The bodies will be handed over to the family for last rites this afternoon. Locals had said Meenu was preparing for entrance exams and Nidhi was pursuing her Masters. Except for the oldest member Narayan Devi, the others were found hanging from the iron-mesh in the ceiling, police said. - PTI Some of the notes stated that 'one will not die' but attain something 'great' According to NDTV, the eldest member among the deceased, Narayan Dev, had one more son and daughter who are in shock. Her eldest son Dinesh Bhatia lives in Rajasthan's Kota and daughter Sujata lives in Panipat in Haryana. "I can't believe that they committed suicide. Everyone was so happy. Someone has killed my family and the police have to find them," Sujata Bhatia was quoted by PTI. Narayan Devi's daughter Sujata said family was not superstitious and was looking forward to grand daughter's marriage Trilokinath Bhatia, a close aide of the deceased family has come from Fatehabad, Haryana. He was their neighbour for 10 years and said they were too religious for occult practices. Former neighbour says Bhatia family was religious, could not have been into occult practices Vimal Soni, the Bhatia family's neighbour for 20 years in in Burari, said they were just another ordinary family. He said that the family didn't come down to collect the milk in the morning. He also said on the 17th of June they celebrated the engagement of the grand daughter in a big way. Vimal Soni, the neighbour, also added that the family owned a big dog who didn't bark at night. (Inputs: Pallavi Rebbapragada ) Bhatia family was just like another ordinary family, says neighbour of 20 years Rajinder Singh has been a resident of Burari for 50 years and was a customer of the Bhatias, who owned a hardware shop. Singh said there were a completely ordinary family and very warm towards everyone. (Inputs: Pallavi Rebbapragada) Bhatia family was very warm towards others, says customer to family Kishan Kumar, a local from Burari, explains the theory linking the 11 pipes to the 11 bodies. Kumar says the pipes are connected to the washrooms and he also said that he has often noticed the family scribbling religious messages like dohas and shlokas on a blackboard outside their shop. (Input by Pallavi Rebbapragada) According to CNN-News 18, post-mortem of all the eleven members of the family has been completed. 75-year-old elderly woman also committed suicide, and was not murdered. She committed suicide with the help of a belt. The belt has been recovered by the police officers. Police got to know about him after they received the SDM reports which had statements of relatives, and friends of the family, CNN-News 18 reported. Locals rubbish theories of occult practices and say that such theories are being manufactured to distract people from the fact that law and order is in a pitiable condition in Burari. They believe that 11 people could not possibly have killed themselves. (Inputs by Pallavi Rebbapragada) Ketan Nagpal, whose maternal grandmother was one of the deceased, alleged that they were killed and dismissed the police theory that it could be a case of "suicide pact". He said it was a prosperous family. "They were not facing any financial issues and had not taken even a single loan. Everything was fine. Why would they kill themselves?" he said. ​Nagpal contended that even if they had to commit suicide, they would not have covered their faces and taped their mouth. Another relative said they had spoken to the family last night. They sounded "normal" and did not show any signs of depression, he added. "The family did not have enmity with anyone. But we suspect someone killed them," he alleged.<doc-sep>
Eleven members of a family were found dead at their home in north Delhi's Burari this morning. Eleven members of a family were found dead at their home in north Delhi's Burari this morning. Ten of the victims were found hanging from an iron grill ceiling, while an elderly woman was found lying on the floor, police said. Most of them were blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs. The incident came to light when a neighbour went to check on Bhatia family, who ran a grocery shop and plywood business out of their home in Burari's Sant Nagar. They have been living in the area for the last two decades. Every morning, their shop would open by 6, but when it didn't till 7.30 today, a neighbour went to check on the family. Finding the door open, he went inside and saw the family members hanging from the grill ceiling. Here are the updates on the story: Jul 01, 2018 19:15 (IST) During a search of the house, certain handwritten notes were found, which point to the observance of some definite "spiritual or mystical practices by the family," a communique from the police said in the evening. "Coincidentally, the notes have strong similarity with the manner in which the mouths, eyes, etc of the deceased were tied and taped," the communique read. The police are investigating the possibility of the deaths being linked to occult practices. Jul 01, 2018 19:06 (IST) Crime Branch to probe deaths The Delhi Police's Crime Branch will be probing the mysterious death of 11 members of a family in north Delhi's Burari this morning, a senior officer said, PTI reported. Ten bodies were found hanging and blindfolded, while a 77-year-old woman's body was found on the floor. Two of the deceased are minors, police said. Jul 01, 2018 17:43 (IST) Forensic team and police found strangulation marks on the body of the 75-year-old woman. A case of murder has been registered as police suspect someone killed the elderly woman and then committed suicide. Post-mortem is still on and further information is underway. Jul 01, 2018 13:42 (IST) बुराङी के एक ही परिवार के 11 लोगो की असमायिक मृत्यु दुखद घटना है। शोक की घङी में हम परिजनों एवं सगे संबंधियों के साथ है मृत्यु के कारणों को पुलिस प्रशासन गंभीरतापूर्वक संज्ञान ले तथा कारवाई करे। - Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) July 1, 2018 Jul 01, 2018 13:21 (IST) Delhi Crime: 11 Of Family Found Dead In Delhi Home, Blindfolded And Hanging Eleven members of a family were found dead at their home in north Delhi's Burari this morning. Ten of the victims were hanging from an iron grill ceiling and the body of an elderly woman was found lying on the floor, police said. Most of them were blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs." Eleven members of a family were found dead at their home in north Delhi's Burari this morning. Ten of the victims were hanging from an iron grill ceiling and the body of an elderly woman was found lying on the floor, police said. Most of them were blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs." Jul 01, 2018 13:17 (IST) The neighbour added that Bhupinder and Lalit Singh, who were brothers, were quite friendly. "They couldn't have committed suicide. I spoke to Bhupinder last night. He was very happy and there was no sign of any stress," a neighbour told news agency IANS. Jul 01, 2018 13:14 (IST) Of the victims, there were two brothers Bhupinder and Lalit Singh with the former running a grocery store and the latter was a carpenter. Both operated their businesses from their family home. Jul 01, 2018 13:11 (IST) The family was into plywood business and they were staying in the locality for the last 20 years, the locals said. Jul 01, 2018 13:10 (IST) Ambulances outside the residence to carry the dead bodies Jul 01, 2018 13:03 (IST) Bodies of 7 women and 4 men including three teenagers have been found. We are investigating from all possible angles, we are not ruling out anything: Joint CP Delhi, on bodies of 11 people found at a house in Delhi's Burari pic.twitter.com/apdRPL5w8r - ANI (@ANI) July 1, 2018 Jul 01, 2018 13:01 (IST) Shri @ManojTiwariMP reached #Burari site this morning, where this unfortunate incident happened where 11 people were found dead in a house.