Maharashtra: Man poisons three daughters to death, kills self

According to the police, the deceased, Mangesh Rajaram Aanerao, in his suicide note has claimed that he was involved in a property dispute with his father and brother who wanted him to vacate their house. His daughters were Arshada, 4, and twins Ananya and Aarohi, 1.

“As per the suicide letter, there was an ongoing property dispute between the man and his father and younger brother. Mangesh’s father had given him the house and now wanted it back so he could sell it and distribute the money among his sons,” said Chandrashekhar Nalawade, investigating officer at Sakinaka police station.

Mangesh, who was jobless, had sent his wife and eldest son to Mira Road at 6 am to take money from a family friend. According to the police, the incident happened around 7 am. The bodies were discovered by Mangesh’s sister when she came to the residence around 9 am. The neighbours heard her scream and gathered around the residence. She then informed Mangesh’s wife about the incident.

The police are yet to ascertain the nature of the poison used. “We found a box of black-coloured granules at the residence. It had a strong smell like that of a pesticide,” said Avinash Dharmadhikari, senior Inspector at Sakinaka police station.

“Since the substance has a strong smell, the father might have forcibly administered it to his daughters instead of mixing it with tea or milk,” he added.

Sakinaka police found all four deceased frothing and bleeding from their mouths and have sent the substance and other utensils present at the residence to a chemical analyst for examination.

According to the police, Mangesh was facing economic strains and was out of work. He had also paid for his mother’s cancer treatment, before she died four to five years ago. Aanerao’s father and younger brother, who live in Titwala, were asking him to move out, so they could sell the house. But Mangesh could not afford an house, the police said.

“They were living here for over 20 years. Nothing seemed to be unusual or out of the ordinary. This incident is shocking,” a neighbour said. A few people in the locality had even seen Mangesh in front of his residence early in the morning. Sakinaka police have sent the bodies for postmortem and have initially registered a case of accidental death till coroner’s report confirms the cause of death.