Death by starvation: Police searches for missing father as probe hints at poisoning
New Delhi, July 28 : Delhi Police on Saturday said a manhunt has been launched to find the missing father of three dead girls after a magisterial inquiry found that hunger may not have caused their deaths as was reported earlier but an "unknown medicine" they were given may have killed them.
The suspect, Mangal Singh, is said to be an alcoholic who was jobless after his e-rickshaw was stolen. from east Delhi's Mandawali neighbourhood.
"On the night before the incident, July 23, Mangal, the father of the children, had given all the three children some unknown medicine with hot water and the children died in the morning," SDM Arun Gupta said in his report.
"The fact that Mangal Singh has not returned since...raises an element of doubt in the matter and require further investigation," the Sub-Divisional Magistrate said in his report that was given to the government on Friday.
The three sisters -- aged two, four and eight -- were discovered unconscious in their one-room house in Mandawali area on Tuesday. They were taken to the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Hospital where they were declared brought dead.
Autopsy reports of the three girls concluded that the deaths were a clear case of starvation. Doctors at the hospital, who performed the autopsy, ruled out any other cause of their death, saying no traces of food were found in their stomachs.
However, the magisterial probe discovered that the three girls were suffering from loose motions and vomiting which may have been due to some stomach infection.
"They were not provided adequate ORS solution or proper medication which may have caused dehydration," Gupta said in his report.
The probe has also discovered that the eldest of the three children, Mansi, appeared ill on Monday and vomitted. She was also provided mid-day meal at her school but she could not consume much due to her illness. It was also found that Rs 1, 805 was deposited in Mansi's bank account.
Based on Gupta's report, results on viscera and post-mortem collected by the hospital that mentioned that the children had died to starvation is still awaited. The police have been asked to convince the mother of the children - who is mentally unstable - to depose before the investigators.
Gupta has "proper and deeper investigation" into the matter by Delhi Commissioner of Police, East, Pankaj Kumar Singh.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
