Kolkata business family and the mystery of poisoning, ‘suicide pact’, high-speed car crash

Despite Pranay’s suicide pact claim, police are investigating all angles, including murder. (Representational image)

A high-speed car crash on Kolkata’s EM Bypass led police to a home in Tangra where three women were found dead under mysterious circumstances.

According to a Times of India report, the freak accident has now turned into a complex case of financial distress, a possible suicide pact, and potential foul play.

The chain of events began to unfold at around 3.35 am on Wednesday when a speeding sedan carrying Prasun Dey (48), his younger brother Pranay Dey (44), and Pranay's teenage son Pratip (14) crashed into a pillar at 100 kmph near the Avishikta crossing.

The three survived and were taken to the hospital.

Hours later, Pranay made a chilling confession from his hospital bed — three family members, his wife Sudeshna, sister-in-law Romi, and niece Priyamvada were dead inside their Tangra home.

When police broke into the residence, a gruesome sight was waiting for them. The women were found in separate rooms with bloodstains scattered across the house.

The autopsy revealed that Romi and Sudeshna had their throats slit and wrists slashed, while Priyamvada, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, had bruises near her nose and lips, with froth at her mouth, that indicated possible poisoning.

The mystery further deepened when the forensic experts found no traces of toxins.

According to Joint CP (Crime & Traffic) Rupesh Kumar, Pranay confessed to a suicide pact. He said that the family had mixed sedatives in payesh (a traditional Bengali dessert) to die together. Some inflicted self-harm, but while the women succumbed, the three men fled in the car, said police.

Police suspect that financial troubles pushed the Deys to the extreme step. Their good-earning leather goods export business suffered heavy losses during the Covid pandemic, and their factory, Protective Leather Gloves Pvt Ltd, had witnessed declining manpower and anxious owners in recent months.

A day before the incident, several "well-built men" were seen outside the Deys’ factory, suspected to be creditors or debt collectors.

That same evening, their business partner, Manoj Gupta, visited their home. Later, the visibly distressed Dey brothers were seen leaving the house in the CCTV footage at 12.54 am.

Despite Pranay’s suicide pact claim, police are investigating all angles, including murder. A murder complaint has been filed by Romi’s father against unknown persons.
Only one penknife was recovered from the crime scene, but forensic experts suspect blunt-force injuries as well.

A forensic team, homicide squad, and mobile DNA unit are examining the evidence while the police are reconstructing the timeline between when the family consumed the drugged dessert and when the crash occurred.

While neighbours claim the Deys rarely quarrelled, footage of Pranay appearing unsteady before leaving suggests he was under extreme stress.

Once a prominent Kolkata business family, the Deys owned multiple cars and a four-storey home. But behind the closed doors of their Tangra residence, a devastating secret was unfolding.

Whether this was a well-planned group suicide or a desperate cover-up for a brutal crime remains to be seen as investigators piece together the final moments of a family on the brink.