NEW DELHI: Delhi Police crime branch probing into the mystery behind the mass suicide of a family would question the fiance of the woman who was supposed to get married later this year. Police are scanning through their call details as well.The possibility of the family being disciples of a godman practicing occult rituals is also being probed. Their search history on the internet is being probed as well.Police are investigating the handwriting in a diary that has mentioned about the suicide. In the note, the writer has asked the others to select anytime between midnight and 1am to take the extreme step.Sources say that the role of some relatives are being probed as well.<doc-sep>Doctors have however said a 'suicide pact' remains only a theory at this point of time. As the deaths of 11 family members at a north Delhi home remained shrouded in mystery, mental health experts said on Monday that people in mass suicide cases generally "show commonalities" and suggested that a "psychological autopsy" be conducted in the case to unravel the puzzle. The deceased, including seven women and two children, were found hanging from an iron-mesh in the ceiling on Sunday. The incident has baffled investigators and psychiatrists. Police suspect the deaths were part of a suicide pact after handwritten notes found at the house indicated a "religious or spiritual angle". But two members of the family on Monday dismissed the suicide pact theory and insisted the 11 people were killed. A senior doctor from the department of psychiatry at AIIMS suggested that a "psychological autopsy" be conducted in the case to get to the bottom of the mystery. "In layman's term, a psychological autopsy would mean interacting with the victims' relatives, friends and acquaintances to see if there was any pattern - like if they were reading the same book or similar themed books or were part of any cult or were influenced by any occultist," he told PTI on the condition of anonymity. The doctor said the cause of the deaths has not been ascertained yet and therefore a 'suicide pact' remains only a theory at this point of time. Asked what factors drove people to commit suicide en masse, he said: "People who are emotionally very unstable, gullible or vulnerable are prone to enter into suicide pacts". Generally there are several commonalities in such cases, whether of age, religion or some other aspect. "In the Burari case, there is an entire spectrum of age from 15 to 77. And the emotional status of a young person is very different from a middle-aged or old person. Also the number 11 in this case is rather overwhelming for committing such acts," he said. Ten of those dead were found hanging from the iron-mesh, while the body of the 77-year-old Narayan Devi was lying on the floor in a room of the house. The deceased had their mouth taped and faces covered with pieces of cloth cut from a single bed-sheet. Only Devi' face was not covered. Bhawna Barmi, senior clinical psychologist at Fortis Escorts Hospital in Okhla, said: "A common theme in majority of suicidal cults is that they believe in an apocalyptic theology." "Mass or cult suicides occur mostly in groups that feel stuck in their lives and they believe that they are unable to control the consequences of their life. Hence, they often believe that death is the only possible option," she said. Asked what behavioral signs such people exhibited, she said: "Signs include isolation from any group activity or gathering or avoidance of any social interaction with behavioral changes that can be evident if paid attention to." Other signs include talking about feeling hopeless or having no purpose; talking about feeling trapped or being in unbearable pain; and talking about being a burden to others. "The society around such people should be aware of what is happening around us for our own and other's safety. We should be vigilant and remove the idea of being ignorant just because it is convenient," Ms Barmni said.<doc-sep>"The line of investigation is focused on the role of Lalit and his wife," said police. The family that was found hanging in their north Delhi house on June 30 began preparations at least 10 days before its alleged "mass suicide", police said. As per a video footage obtained from a premises opposite the family house, the family bought goods used in rituals, five tables and bandage from shops close to their Burari home. The Crime Branch officials on Wednesday visited the house in Sant Nagar and conducted another search. Police said Crime Branch investigators believe that one of the dead couples -- Lalit Bhatia and his wife Tina -- tied the hands and legs of other family members before all of the them hung themselves from an iron grill on a ceiling of a corridor during a ritual prayer. "In another video clipping, Bhavnesh's wife Savita and Tina were seen purchasing five stools at 10 p.m. on June 30. After some time, their teenage children Dhruv and Shivam were seen carrying electric wire, which was used in hanging by some of the family members. "The line of investigation is focused on the role of Lalit and his wife," Deputy Commissioner of Police Joy N Tirkey said. "The Crime Branch, which is examining the CCTV footage of the last two months, has found couple involved in suspicious activities. The couple was seen carrying goods used in ritual prayers from June 23 to 30. In one of the footage of June 27, Lalit was seen carrying a polybag containing items connected to Vastu Shastra," a senior police officer connected to the probe said on the condition of anonymity. "Lalit daily recalled the previous day's chores and listed activities in his registers and made lists of things on which he had instructed other family members to follow. He used to research on death and mysteries of soul. As per his mobile phone details, he often watched paranormal and ghost shows on 'You Tube' and other Internet platforms," he added. "It was found in investigation that generally the family used to send one of their servants to purchase household goods," the officer said. "An employee at a nearby restaurant said he delivered 20 loaves as ordered by Lalit Bhatia on July 30 night. The food packet was received by Lalit Bhatia who took money from his brother Bhavnesh to pay up," the officer added. "Lalit Bhatia was last seen entering the house on the night of the incident. He was seen walking in the street with family pet dog which was chained in a room on the second floor during the ritual prayer. Their neighbour said that the family generally unleashed the dog during night hours and the pet was seen barking loudly on the fateful night," he said. "Like his late father Gopaldass, who was in the Indian Army, Lalit gave all family members training in discipline, code of conduct, rehearsals of dos and don'ts during ritual practices. As per an entry in one of the registers seized from the house, he also instructed family members often to stand to position like soldiers after morning prayers for increasing mental strength," the officer added. The police officer said visera reports were expected within 10 to 15 days, which will tell if the family's food was laced with sedatives before their deaths. "We will take help of psychology and paranormal experts as prima facie we suspect it to be a case of shared psychotic disorder," he said. Septuagenarian Narayani Devi and her 10 family members were found hanging in their house on Sunday when a neighbour went to check on them.<doc-sep>The death of 11 members of a family in north Delhi’s Sant Nagar on Sunday remains shrouded in mystery even as autopsies revealed that all of them died from hanging. As Delhi Police continues to probe multiple theories to figure out the possible reason behind the incident, here are 10 odd things related to the case. 1. Eight ‘taped’ cellphones on silent mode were kept in a drawer and was mentioned in the recovered handwritten notes. 2. Eleven plastic pipes, protruding from a wall of the house, weren’t connected to any water source, police say. 3. The main door of the house has 11 iron rods. 4. Main door was left open when the ‘religious ritual’ was performed. Police said the family chose not to close the door. 5. The family had ordered 20 chapatis but no curry, dal or vegetables from a nearby restaurant. 6. All 11 family members were blindfolded, their ears plugged with cotton and mouths closed with tape. Nine of them had their limbs tied. 7. Out of the 11 family members, nine were found hanging with iron rods of a ceiling ventilator. 8. Only the eldest among the dead, 77-year-old Narayan Devi, was found lying in a room. 9. Two notebooks in which rituals were written were found in the prayer area of the house. 10. The pet dog was kept chained on the second floor. When police found it, the dog had high fever.<doc-sep>
Read also: Police probe focuses on notings in diary at site What we know so far Postmortem report June 17 Read also: Why this ‘mass suicide’ was different June 30 8pm: 10pm: 11pm: July 1 7.15am: 7.30am onwards 12pm: Read also: Loose ends in mass suicide theory keep cops busy Many answers we don't know Mysterious Burari deaths: Some unanswered questions NEW DELHI: 11 members of a family were found dead in their house in North Delhi's Burari area on Sunday.10 members were found hanging from an iron mesh in the hallway while an elderly woman was found dead on the floor in another room. While the police registered a case of murder of the woman over death by strangulation, they are probing an occult angle to the incident.Here is what we know about the case so far, and the questions that remain unanswered.Postmortem of 6 bodies have been completed so far. Police sources say autopsy report mentions 'ligature hanging' as the reason behind death. No signs of struggle were found, says the autopsy report.Family gathers for Narayani's granddaughter's engagementBhavnesh shuts his plywood shop and returns homeOther son shuts his general store and goes homeNarayani's younger son, Lalit, calls his sister, Sujata, to ask about her well-beingNeighbour Gurcharan Singh visits family after noticing both shops were shut (they opened early). Finds the bodies hanging, alerts policePolice receive PCR callPCRs dispatch; inspectors M P Bhardwaj, Manoj Kumar and ACP K C Negi rush with teamsCM Arvind Kejriwal and MP Manoj Tiwari visit spot; meet locals 1pm: Bodies sent to mortuary for post-mortem after crime scene inspected by forensic experts and cops1. The elderly woman in the other room was strangled. If it was a "suicide pact", why was she murdered?2. Did a family member kill them and commit suicide?3. Why was the main door of the house open? Did the "killers" have a free passage?4. If an outsider was involved, why did none of the neighbours hear the dog bark?5. If it was a case of mass suicide, why didn't any of the family members leave a note?6. Relatives say there were no issues in the family. If it was a suicide pact, what could be the reason?7. Most of the deceased had chunnis around the neck with religious messages. Why?8. Cops say robbery in the house seemed unlikely as cash found intact. Why did the killer, if an outsider, not take the money?9. Why were the hands and legs of the deceased tied up if it was suicide?10. The kids' bodies were found hanging too. Did the children agree to kill themselves without making any noise?11. The children's feet were touching the ground. Were they killed and their bodies hanged?12. Why were their faces covered?13. Did the family ingest poison?