NEW DELHI: Crushed naphthalene balls and a strip of crepe bandage were recovered from a flat in Malviya Nagar where two sisters were found dead and their mother unconscious on Thursday. Police suspect the 50-year-old woman, identified as Sunita, killed her daughters Radhika (33) and Gunisha (28) before attempting suicide.
Investigators believe Gunisha may have been strangled with the crepe bandage, while the elder daughter Radhika was allegedly smothered with a pillow. Police said signs of struggle in the room indicated smothering.
“The elder daughter was a special child. She used to assist a teacher working with specially-abled children but stopped working a few years ago. The younger daughter had completed a law course,” a source said.
Sources added that crushed naphthalene balls may have been used in an attempt to sedate one of the daughters, and Sunita may have consumed the substance as well.
“These are preliminary suspicions. We are awaiting the post-mortem reports of the sisters and the medical report of the woman, who is currently undergoing treatment,” the source said.
Police also found cut marks on the hands of one of the daughters.
Officers entered the house through a ventilation window after breaking the glass pane. Inside, they found Sunita lying unconscious on the floor while Gunisha’s body was on a bed in one of the rooms.
Sunita’s husband had left for the garment shop he runs in south Delhi earlier in the day. Several relatives live in the same building, where the family occupied the ground floor.
A senior police officer said investigators suspect Sunita first killed her daughters and then attempted suicide.
“We learned that the family was not very social and may have been dealing with some form of depression. All angles are being investigated, including the possibility of domestic discord,” the officer said.
Neighbours in Malviya Nagar’s F Block expressed shock over the incident. They described the mother and daughters as polite and well-behaved, though they largely kept to themselves. The family had reportedly lived in the area for nearly 50 years.
On Friday, senior police officials visited the house and spoke to family members for over an hour.
Lalit, a neighbour, said Sunita was a caring mother who usually accompanied her daughters whenever they stepped out.
“They mostly kept to themselves and rarely came out of the house,” he said.
The family lived in a four-storey building. Sunita’s mother-in-law resided on the second floor, while the remaining floors were occupied by her husband’s brother and his family.
Ranjana, a domestic worker in the area, said Sunita had recently mentioned that she was looking for a house help.
“She was polite and spoke nicely,” she said.
Neighbour Ramesh Thakur (75) said Sunita’s husband returned home around 5 pm and repeatedly knocked on the door but received no response.
“He went to the back of the house and tried to get in but could not. He even contacted key makers but was told the door couldn’t be opened that way. After about half an hour, neighbours called the police,” Thakur said.
