CHANDIGARH: Seven members of a family from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, were found dead in a car in Panchkula, Haryana, adjacent to Chandigarh, during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Police suspect it to be a case of suicide due to “financial debt and psychological issues.”
According to sources, the family allegedly consumed poison inside their car, which was parked on an empty plot outside a house in Sector 27, Panchkula. The rear windowpanes of the vehicle were covered with a towel, and the doors were locked from the inside.
The deceased have been identified as 42-year-old Praveen Mittal, his father Deshraj Mittal, mother Vimla, wife Reena, twin teenage daughters Dhruvika and Dalisha, and son Hardik.
When the police arrived at the scene, one individual was found breathing, while the others were unconscious. The conscious person stated he had also consumed poison and would die within five minutes.
The police received a call around midnight reporting a suspiciously parked car with several people inside. Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) reached the location and discovered the seven individuals, most in a semi-conscious state. All were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Sources said the family had moved to Saketri in Panchkula from Dehradun about a month ago and were residing in a two-room rented accommodation. They had recently attended a Hanuman Katha event organised by Bageshwar Dham.
It was Praveen who was reportedly alive when the police arrived, but he later succumbed during treatment. A handwritten note recovered from the vehicle contained a two-page message from Praveen.
“I have gone bankrupt. I am responsible for all this. My father-in-law should not be harassed. The last rites of my family should be done by my cousin brother,” he wrote.
Relatives revealed the family had previously lived in Panchkula and were financially stable with a business. However, they moved to Dehradun around nine years ago after incurring business losses and falling into debt.
Praveen’s father-in-law, Rakesh Gupta, confirmed that the family was under immense financial stress. “Parveen had taken a loan of about ₹1 crore, which he failed to repay. I had not been in touch with him for the past ten years,” he told the police.
His cousin, Sandeep Aggarwal, told the authorities that Parveen had earlier run a scrap material processing factory in Panchkula before moving to Dehradun to operate a tours and travel business, where he suffered major losses.
“He was out of touch for five years, but last week he confided in me that he was in deep debt and had recently started running a taxi business,” Sandeep added.
An eyewitness, Harsh, who first discovered the family, also recorded a statement with the police. “I was walking outside my house when I noticed a car with several people inside and towel-covered windowpanes. I managed to pull one person out, who was still alive. He said he was Parveen Mittal and that he and his family had consumed poison. I immediately informed the police,” Harsh stated.
Manish Chaudhary, the landlord of the rented accommodation in Saketri where the family had been living, said, “Parveen called me yesterday morning and told me they were leaving the city since the children’s summer vacation had started. When I asked if his parents were accompanying them, he replied that the entire family was going.”
A forensic team examined the car and collected evidence. Preliminary findings indicate that Parveen claimed sole responsibility for the act, citing severe financial distress.
Panchkula Deputy Commissioner of Police, Himadri Kaushik, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Amit Dahiya, visited the location and initiated a detailed investigation.
“Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide due to financial debt and psychological issues that the family was going through. The statements of the relatives have been recorded, and investigations are ongoing. We received information that six people were brought to Ojas Hospital. Upon arrival, we were informed they had been declared brought dead. Another person was brought to the Civil Hospital, Sector 6, who was also declared dead,” said Kaushik.
Dahiya added, “A thorough investigation is underway, and no angle is being ruled out. Five police teams have been deployed to examine all possible aspects.”
The bodies have been shifted to the mortuary at the Civil Hospital in Sector 6 for post-mortem examination. Police stated that the investigation is ongoing to ascertain the exact cause and circumstances behind the deaths.