Ranchi: Police investigation into the case of alleged suicide by five members of a family revealed illicit affair as one of the leading reasons behind the bizarre incident.
Sukant Sarkar, a retired Army doctor, who was found severely injured and bleeding on a bed at the crime scene on Sunday last, reportedly made the revelation in his police statement.
Cops quizzed Sarkar at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) where the latter was admitted in critical condition. Sarkar reportedly tried to commit suicide by stabbing himself with a knife. He is now recovering, police said.
Police had recovered five bodies from an apartment in Kokar area on Sunday afternoon. Those found dead were wife Anjana Sarkar, son Sameer Sarkar, his son�s sister-in-law Momita Sarkar, and grand-daughters Samita Sarkar and Sumita Sarkar.
Sarkar reportedly told police about the existence of an illicit affair between his son Sameer and Momita Sarkar. Madhumita Sarkar, wife of Sameer, did not like this relationship and hence often fell out with her husband. Momita was the wife of Parthiv, Dr Sarkar�s nephew and the sister of Madhumita.
Sarkar told interrogators that Madhumita often threatened to book the Sarkars and wanted to live separately with her husband away from her in-laws, cops said.
Dr Sarkar told cops he wanted to stop his family members from ending their lives. He said that Sameer administered poisonous injection to his daughter and wife on the night of 8th October last and later gave the lethal injection to his mother and himself.
Momita took the lethal shot herself, Sarkar told cops. Later when all five died, Sarkar tried to stab himself to death around 1.30 am, but was rescued by police, police said.
The SSP of Ranchi Kuldip Dwivedi said cops had recorded the statement of Sukant Sarkar and were trying to verify the same.
Dr Sarkar, who lived in Noida, had come to Ranchi on October 6 to settle the issues between his son and daughter-in-law. He was reportedly visiting his relative and an eminent doctor of Ranchi, Dr S Chaudhary. The police said that family was staying in a flat on 10th floor of Rivisera Apartment in Kokar area.
Inquiries revealed that Sameer and his wife wanted separation and there was also a fight over the custody of their daughter. �While Sameer and Dr Sukanto wanted the girl to stay with them, his wife insisted on having the custody of the daughter.
The said daughter-in-law had been threatening to register cases of dowry harassment and other related sections against them,� said City Superintendent of Police Kaushal Kishore.