Day after 3 found dead in car on Peeragarhi flyover, cops probe murder, suicide angles

Disposable glasses — found inside the vehicle — contained traces of soda mixed with what officials described as “very strong” poison, said police, adding that a bottle too was recovered and there were no immediate signs of external injuries on the bodies.

According to the police, Randhir owned the vehicle and was found dead on the driver’s seat, while the other two were seated on the passenger seats. “We are investigating both murder and suicide angles in the case,” said police. The three had allegedly met a ‘baba’ (godman) on Sunday morning, before departing together in the vehicle, a senior police officer said. The role of the godman is now being probed. “We rounded up the godman, along with few others and questioned him. Randhir had picked up both Shiv Naresh and Laxmi in his car before going to meet him,” the officer said.

The affected families are still reeling under disbelief. On Monday, Randhir’s cousin Naresh, along with some relatives, stood outside the mortuary of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Expressing shock, he told The Indian Express, “Our family has lived in the Baprola village for generations. All of us are involved in the property business. Randhir left home around 8 am on Sunday. He said he was meeting Shiv for some work. We didn’t know Shiv personally even as he often came to the area to meet Randhir.” Rejecting claims of suicide, Naresh said, Randhir had overcome many hardships in life. About 20 years ago, around 2005, he recalled, Randhir had lost his newly married son Satish, who was 20 at the time. “I have seen Randhir go through every kind of hardship in life. He was not someone who would harm himself. His son passed away, and he still stood strong. I don’t believe this was a suicide. He had absolutely no worries.”

On speculation about possible financial struggles, he said, “Money? Rs 15–20 lakh meant nothing to him,”Randhir is survived by his wife, who lives in Najafgarh, and four daughters, all of whom are married.

Unlike Randhir, Shiv had been living a relatively solitary life in Delhi for the past two decades. His brother Rakesh, who lives in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah — the family’s ancestral village — said Shiv’s wife and two college-going sons live in Mainpuri in UP. “While his family lived in the village, he lived alone in Delhi. Around 7 am on Sunday, he called his wife and told her not to call him during the day unless it was an emergency. Around 6 pm, I received a call from Delhi Police,” Rakesh said.

Rakesh said police initially told him that his brother had died in an “accident”. “I rushed to Delhi and only later learned that he had died allegedly due to poisoning,” he said.

Rakesh also questioned the speculation about the suicide. “I find everything suspicious. It is strange to me that he was sitting in the back seat while the seat next to the driver was vacant. I have rarely seen him sit in the back of a car,” he said.

At the mortuary of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Laxmi Devi was the only one whose body had no family members present to receive it. “As of now, we only know that she knew Shiv,” a police officer said, adding that she worked as a caretaker with an agency.