BHOPAL: Two minor brothers were found dead inside their father’s car outside Pipariya railway station in Madhya Pradesh’s Narmadapuram district on Sunday evening, hours after their father allegedly died by suicide by jumping in front of a speeding train at the same station.
The bodies of Samarth (13), a Class IX student, and Shivay (11), a Class VI student, were found around 6 pm, about two hours after their father, Ajay Dhakad, a patwari (revenue department official), allegedly died in front of the Sanghmitra Express at around 4 pm.
Police suspect that Dhakad may have strangled the boys before leaving their bodies in the car and ending his life. Marks on the children’s necks have raised suspicions of strangulation, though their post-mortem reports are awaited. Their bodies were found between the car’s seats, covered with a bedsheet.
CCTV footage from the railway station’s parking area reportedly showed Dhakad arriving in the car at around 2 pm, parking it and leaving without his sons. Investigators are examining the footage as they piece together the events preceding the deaths.
Dhakad was from the Bareli area of neighbouring Raisen district and was posted as a patwari in Udaipura in the same district, Narmadapuram Additional Superintendent of Police Abhishek Rajan said.
Relatives reportedly told investigators that Dhakad had taken the boys out on the pretext of watching a movie. Before leaving the village, he had accompanied his wife to a nearby market for shopping. The family learnt of the deaths a few hours later.
A police team camping in Dhakad’s village is yet to record his wife’s statement. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths.