Three of a family found dead in Ranchi

RANCHI: Three members, including a minor, of a family have died because of suspected "poisoning" or "asphyxiation" on Saturday night at Jaiprakash Nagar in Bariatu here. The bodies were recovered on Sunday morning.
The deceased include Kesaria Devi (30), Pankaj Kumar (12) and an unidentified person, who police claimed, was either a relative or working as a domestic help in the house.The house was taken on rent by Raj Kumar Munda, a contractor who was away to Jamshedpur on Saturday night.
On Sunday morning, when Munda called Kesaria Devi, she didn't respond. Later he called his house owner S N P Saxena, a businessman, to find out why his wife was not picking up the phone.
Saxena knocked the door at 8am and found it was locked from inside. He also smelled liquefied petroleum gas in the house and found a child crying. He called police and the doors were opened along with neighbhours. When the doors were opened, police found the three bodies in one room, while Vivek Kumar (7) was found crying besides the bodies. Police switched off the LPG gas stove and found the utensils ready for preparing food.
Vivek was rushed to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for treatment where he is said to be recuperating. However, carbon stains were found in his nose, which indicated that the deaths of other members could also have taken place by asphyxia.
Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) experts collected samples from the house. One of them said asphyxia angle could not be ruled out as the room in which the bodies were found had no ventilator and the walls were covered with black carbon emitted from kerosene lamps.
Bariatu police station officer in charge K D Singh said it appeared that the mother of the children was about to make dinner when she came under the influence of poison or suffocation along with other members who died.
Singh said prima facie it appeared that the family members consumed some poisonous chemical used for ripening foodgrains. City SP Ranjit Prasad and DSP Barnwavas Tirkey also inspected the bodies. "All the bodies were sent for autopsy at the RIMS. It is only after the autopsy report comes, it could be said that what chemical was used or what went wrong with the family members," said Prasad.
Munda reached from Jamshedpur and straightaway went to see his son Vivek at the RIMS. "Every thing was normal with the family and there is no dispute which prompted his family to commit suicide," he said.
Police sources, however, claimed that Kesaria Devi and the two children were actually from the family of Uday Nath Bhagat, a criminal of Lohardaga, and was not married to Munda. "Munda had given false information and showed them as wife and children to get the house rent. We are investigating all angles and even the murder angle could not be ruled out," said Prasad.