Madhya Pradesh News: The bodies of a farmer, his wife, and their three children were discovered in their home in Ravdi village, Alirajpur district, Madhya Pradesh, on Monday. According to police officials, it appears to be a case of suicide. The deceased have been identified as Rakesh Dodwa (27), his wife Lalita Dodwa (25), and their sons Prakash (7) and Akshay (5). The bodies of the parents and the two boys were found hanging from the ceiling with rope, while their daughter, Laxmi (9), was found lying on the floor.
"Prima facie, it seems to be a case of suicide," an official stated, as per news agency PTI.
Initial police reports suggested that all five family members were found hanging, but subsequent information from a villager clarified that the girl's body was on the floor. The discovery was made early Monday morning, around 9:20 AM, PTI's report stated.
The police have launched a thorough investigation into the incident, with a team led by the Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) of Alirajpur. "No suicide note was found at the scene," the official added. The incident is believed to have occurred between 7 PM on Sunday and 6 AM on Monday, according to the report.
Rakesh Dodwa was a farmer and also worked as a mason in Gujarat, police revealed. A dog squad and forensic team have collected fingerprints from the site, and a forensic team from Indore is expected to join the investigation. The post-mortem examinations are being videographed for further scrutiny.
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2018 Burari Case
This incident bears an eerie resemblance to the 2018 Burari case in Delhi, where eleven members of a family were found dead under mysterious circumstances exactly six years ago. On July 1, 2018, ten members were found hanging in the courtyard, blindfolded and with their mouths taped, while an elderly woman was found strangled in another room. Handwritten notes suggested the family believed in attaining salvation through certain rituals, leading to their deaths.
The Burari deaths were later attributed to shared delusion or psychosis, with Lalit Chundawat, a family member, believed to have orchestrated the incident under the belief that his deceased father's spirit had taken over his body to guide the family. "The notes talk about how one can attain salvation and how the human body is temporary but the soul always continues to live on," reported PTI, quoting an investigating officer.
According to NDTV's 2018 report, the diary stated that "everyone will tie their own hands and when the kriya (ritual) is done then everyone will help each other untie their hands", suggesting that the family was not expecting to die.