New Delhi: Days after returning from a rehabilitation centre, a 25-year-old drug addict allegedly stabbed his parents, sister and grandmother to death in southwest Delhi’s Palam, police said on Wednesday.
Keshav killed his entire family Tuesday night following a quarrel, officials said, adding their bodies were found in separate rooms at their home with blood all over.
The deceased have been identified as Keshav’s grandmother Deewana Devi (75), father Dinesh (50), mother Darshana and sister Urvashi (18).
As Keshav went on the stabbing spree, the screams of his family members alerted some of their relatives, who live in the same building, and neighbours.
According to a police officer, they received information around 10:30 pm Tuesday about a quarrel on the upper floor of a house in Palam.
Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Manoj C. said when a police team reached there it found four members of the family dead.
The caller and his relatives caught hold of the accused and handed him over to the police, he said. The preliminary investigation revealed that Keshav did not have a stable job. He used to work in a company in Gurugram and left the job a month ago, police said.
Prima facie it seems the accused killed his family members following an argument, police said.
A case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered with the Palam police station and further investigation is on, they said.
Keshav’s relatives said they are shocked and completely devastated. His cousin Kuldeep Saini caught the accused and handed him over to the police.
Saini said when police were taking him away, Keshav threatened him, “It will be your number, when I come out of jail.”
Saini lives on the first floor of the building and his uncle’s family lived on the second.
“Last evening around 10 pm, I heard my cousin Urvashi calling my name and screaming for help. When I went upstairs, I saw that the gate was locked from the outside and there was silence inside the house,” Saini said.
He said he knocked on the door and asked Keshav to open it, but he said “it is our family matter” and that he should leave.
“I told him that your family is mine, open the door. Later, I came downstairs and saw that Keshav was trying to flee the spot through the shaft. I caught him and handed him over to the police,” he said.
Saini said when they opened the gate of the house after cutting the iron mesh of the main door, they found the elderly woman and Urvashi lying dead in the same room and Keshav’s parents in the washroom.
He further said Keshav used to quarrel with his family over money for his drugs. On Tuesday also, Keshav and his mother had a heated argument over money.
On November 2, Keshav had allegedly stolen batteries from the first floor and returned home last night to get some money. He was also in jail for some time in connection with an ATM robbery case, Kuldeep said.
Another cousin of Keshav, Rajneesh, demanded the death penalty for him.
The police got three-day custody of the accused.
“Investigation is underway and we will try to probe the matter from all angles. The investigation is in the early stage. We have got three-day police custody of the accused. He was not under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident,” an official said.
He said the accused has good communication skills and speaks good English.
Shri Krishan (48), the brother of Keshav’s mother, said they suspect the incident was pre-planned.
“I received a call around 10.20 pm that Keshav has killed his family members. I rushed here from my residence in Burari. We have never thought that this would happen. He was a drug addict and used to fight with his family members over money. He was admitted to a rehabilitation centre twice.”
“We suspect it was pre-planned. We suspect that he first killed his grandmother. Later, he killed his father who came home around 8 pm. When his mother came around 8.45 pm, he killed her and at last, he killed Urvashi who came home around 9.30 pm,” Krishan said.
