Daijiworld Media Network - Pimpri
Pimpri, Aug 3: A family of three allegedly died by suicide in Pimpri Chinchwad's Morwadi area, reportedly driven by prolonged financial distress. The deceased were identified as Vinod Pillai, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, his wife Sirja, and their daughter Poornima, a second-year Computer Science student.
According to the police, the family allegedly ended their lives by burning charcoal inside their rented house and adding sodium nitrite, a toxic chemical, which produced poisonous fumes.
Vinod Pillai died at the scene, while his wife and daughter succumbed during treatment at a hospital.
Investigators said the family had earlier owned a house in Pune but had to sell it after their financial condition deteriorated. They later moved into a rented accommodation in Morwadi. Construction of a house in their native place is also believed to have added to their financial burden.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that the family had allegedly planned the suicide nearly two months in advance.
Police said Vinod Pillai had ordered sodium nitrite online on Jun 1 after researching the chemical and its effects. The family allegedly executed the plan on Friday by lighting charcoal and releasing toxic fumes inside the house.
To ascertain the circumstances leading to the deaths, Sant Nagar police have sent the mobile phones of all three deceased for forensic examination. Investigators are probing whether the family was under pressure from creditors or moneylenders and whether they had faced any form of harassment over financial liabilities.
The incident came to light on Saturday after residents of the housing society noticed something unusual and alerted the police. With the help of local residents, the family members were rushed to hospital, where Vinod was declared dead on arrival, while his wife and daughter later succumbed.
Police recovered a suicide note from the house in which the family reportedly stated that they had taken the extreme step due to financial difficulties and requested that no one be held responsible for their deaths.
Police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.