A former Hyderabad-based Pharma company executive allegedly killed his wife and two children by stabbing them and slitting their throats before ending his life in their Uppal Southend home in Gurugram.
Police told news agency PTI on Monday, 1 July, that Prakash Singh (55), a PhD holder and a former R&D head at Sun Pharmaceuticals, was found hanging from a ceiling fan on Sunday night with a suicide note.
"The police control room received a call at 9 am. Our team reached Uppal Southend and found the main entrance door of Prakash's house locked from inside," Assistant Commissioner of Police (Sadar) Aman Yadav told PTI.
"The door was forced open. Prakash's body was found hanging from the ceiling fan in the drawing room, while the bodies of his son, Aditya and wife, Sonu were lying on the floor.
His daughter Aditi's body was found on a bed. There were scuffle marks on the inner walls," the Assistant Commissioner added.
The officer also said a hammer and four big knives used in the crime were recovered from the spot.
‘Planned Crime After Taking Cues From TV Show’
Citing another police office, PTI reported that Prakash planned the crime after taking cues from a crime show.
"He planned the entire crime after being inspired by a crime show on TV. He locked the main entrance door from inside so that none of his family member could escape," the officer said.
Giving details of the grisly crime, the officer added:
“Prakash first attacked his family with the hammer and later stabbed them. It seems his family pleaded with him to spare their lives and a scuffle ensued as there were foot prints and blood stains on the walls.”
After the crime, Prakash spent an hour with the family's pet dogs. He fed them food before writing the suicide note and later hanged himself to death, PTI reported.
Autopsy Reveals Wife and Children Had ‘Deep Cuts’
Meanwhile, an autopsy report indicated a brutal assault on the three by Prakash.
Speaking to The Times of India, forensic head of Civil Hospital and a member of the board that conducted the autopsies, Dr Deepak Mathur said that the wife and the two children had deep cuts, adding "they might have died within a few minutes."
He further revealed that the incident occurred between midnight and 2 am.
Mathur also told the daily that there were 12 injury marks on Aditi’s body, eight on Aditya’s head.
His wife, Sonu, who ran a school in Gurugram had 19 marks all over body including a deep cut on the back of her neck, he added.
Police told The Times of India that preliminary investigation show that Aditi, was attacked first with a hammer and a large kitchen knife when she was asleep. Following her screams, his wife and son rushed into Aditi’s room, but were struck down immediately.
“There were struggle marks on the bodies of the mother and son, but none on the daughter’s body. It seems the daughter was attacked in her sleep,” a senior police officer.
It was also reported that, on the same night, Aditi had messaged her aunt indicating things were unusual at home.
‘Family Was Living Peacefully’
The relatives of the victims claimed the family did not face any financial trouble. “The family had been living peacefully. There were no signs of confrontation or domestic violence reported earlier,” relatives told PTI.
Prakash, a native of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, was staying in Gurgaon from the last eight years. His daughter was a college student at Jamia Milia and had formed her own small startup for handmade soaps.
Although it is not clear what prompted Prakash to commit the crime, a case has been registered on a complaint filed by Arora, Sonu’s sister. In the suicide note examined by PTI, Prakash said that he was not able to handle his family and is responsible for the deaths of his wife, son and daughter.
Another media report indicated that Prakash was fired from his position.
(With inputs from PTI and The Times of India)
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