M A I N   N E W S

Family of seven hacked to death
5 children among 7; septuagenarian couple also killed
Tribune News Service

Wailing relatives of the family of seven who were found dead at their residence in Delhi on Monday morning. — Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal

New Delhi, July 31
It was a day of murders in the Capital. In all nine persons were done to death, including a family of seven and a septuagenarian couple. In an incident that has sent shock waves throughout the Capital, seven members of a family, including five children, were brutally hacked to death in their house in the Inderlok area of North Delhi.

The bodies of Om Prakash, his wife Santosh, four daughters-Dolly, Pooja, Kavita and Manju and son Anuj were found in their ‘D’ block residence by some neighbours this morning. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. An attempt had also been made to set the house as well as bodies of the couple on fire wipe out all evidence and make it appear like an accident.

However, the fire did not spread for some inexplicable reason even though the gas cylinder knob in the house had been left open. The police and the neighbours detected the gas smell when they entered the house this morning.

Majority of the residents of this lower middle class colony came out on the streets after hearing the news. Initially it was indicated that the family may have committed suicide because of financial problems but this was objected to be the neighbours who had seen the hacked bodies as such deep wounds could not have been self inflicted.

The agitated residents also raised anti-police slogans. The residents were placated when senior officers reached the spot and assured them of proper investigations.

While the bodies of the children, with their necks slashed, were found on the first floor, the bodies of the couple were found on the ground floor of their house.

It is a case of murder and we are investigating, said a senior police official.

The deceased, Om Prakash, youngest of six brothers, was running a cardboard business from the ground floor of his house. On of his brothers and other family members had visited the family last night and they had found every thing normal.

The police believes that the assailants may have struck late in the night or in the early hours of the morning.

Meanwhile, the police was questioning some of the neighbours and relatives to ascertain the motive behind the gruesome crime.

In the other incident, a retired Income Tax Officer Ved Raj Grover (72) and his wife Vimla (70) were found lying dead in their East Park residence on Desh Bandhu Gupta Road this morning by their driver. Their necks had been slashed and the house ransacked.

The police believes that their domestic help, Sikander, 19, who hails from Assam, may have had a hand in the crime as he is missing. He had been hired from a Green Park placement agency just four days ago.

The couple is survived by two daughters and a son Sanjiv who runs an export house from his residence in Mansarovar Park.

The police said that cases of murder had been registered and teams had been sent to various places to trace the absconding Sikander. His description has also been flashed to all police stations.

The incident has once again highlighted the vulnerability of old people living alone in the Capital.