Seven members of a family die in suicide pact in Panchkula, financial distress suspected

Six members of a family, including three children, were found dead inside a car in Panchkula, Haryana. Another person, who was also in the car, died on his way to a hospital, the police said on Tuesday, 27 May, and added they suspected a suicide pact.

A note found in the car pointed to the family being under financial stress. The deceased were identified as Praveen Mittal (41), his wife, the couple's three minor children -- two of them twin girls -- and his parents.

The car with Uttarakhand registration number was found parked on the roadside in a residential area in Panchkula's Sector 27 adjacent to a vacant plot of land. The family is believed to be from Dehradun.

Panchkula Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Himadree Kaushik said, "Prima facie, it appears to be a matter of suicide. However, further investigations are on." She said six occupants of the car were taken to a private hospital, while one was taken to the civil hospital. "All seven died," the officer added.

The cause of the deaths appears to be poisoning, police said.

DCP (Crime), Panchkula, Amit Dahiya told reporters that two suicide notes were found from the spot--one from the car's dashboard and another one from a notebook in the vehicle.

Dahiya said while he could not disclose the exact content of the notes, the crux of the note found from the dashboard was that the family took the step due to financial issues.

Mittal's father-in-law told reporters in Panchkula that he came to know of the incident when police reached his house in Pinjore at 4 a.m.

He said his daughter and her family was living in Panchkula's Saketri area.

Dahiya said five police teams have been formed to help with the investigation.

Meanwhile, police in Uttarakhand's Dehradun said till eight-nine months back, the family used to stay in a rented accommodation in the city.