‘Bohot badi galti ho gayi’: Cryptic voice note at 3 am. Hours later, five of family found dead in UP’s Saharanpur

Alarmed, he informed the police. A police team rushed to the spot, broke open the door, and found five bodies lying in a pool of blood in a single room.

Police said Ashok worked as an amin (land surveyor) in the district administration department. The other victims were his wife, Anjita (35), their two sons, Kartik (16) and Dev (14), and mother Vidhyawati (70).

Police said their preliminary investigation showed that Ashok was reportedly undergoing treatment for depression and suspect that he may have allegedly shot his family members before turning the gun on himself.

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➡️आज दिनांक 20.01.2026 को थाना सरसावा क्षेत्रान्तर्गत कौशिक विहार कॉलोनी में एक ही परिवार के 05 लोगों के शव मिलने की सूचना पर तत्काल थाना सरसावा पुलिस द्वारा घटनास्थल पर पहुँचकर शव को कब्जे में लिया गया एवं उच्चाधिकारीण द्वारा घटनास्थल का निरीक्षण किया… pic.twitter.com/c5jltWa85l

— Saharanpur Police (@saharanpurpol) January 20, 2026

During a search of the house, police recovered three country-made pistols.

Prima facie, police said, the deaths appear to have been caused by gunshot wounds. Blackening was found around the wounds, indicating that the firing was carried out from close range, they said.

Police also said they found no signs of forced entry into the house or any evidence of a struggle, suggesting external involvement was unlikely. They also suspect the victims were sedated before their deaths.

Officers said they have recovered several voice notes sent by Ashok to his relatives before the incident and are examining them.

Ashish Tiwari, holding the charge of Senior Superintendent of Police, Saharanpur, said the case is being examined from all possible angles. The SSP said so far, no formal complaint has been filed by the family of the deceased.

Police further said Ashok had reportedly been keen on shifting to his ancestral house in the village, a move which other family members were opposed to. This issue is also being examined as part of the investigation, along with a thorough review of Ashok’s medical history, they said.

A forensic team and a dog squad were called to the scene to collect evidence; the bodies were sent for a post-mortem examination and the reports are awaited. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events, police said.