UP's Saharanpur 'mass murder-suicide': 5 of family found shot dead, cryptic call deepens mystery

Representative photo

• Five family members found dead with gunshot wounds in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Police suspect mass murder-suicide; investigation ongoing with various leads
• Voice notes from Ashok Rathi and forensic evidence are key to the ongoing probe

Did our AI summary help?

A chilling incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur has left investigators grappling with the possibility of a mass murder-suicide after five members of a family were discovered dead inside their home, each with gunshot injuries.

The bodies were found together in a single room in Sarsava town, setting off alarm across the neighbourhood and prompting an intensive police probe.

Those who died were identified as Ashok Rathi, his wife Anjita, their two teenage sons, and his elderly mother Vidhyawati. Police said the adults were in their late 30s and early 40s, while the boys were school students. Three country-made pistols were recovered from the room during the initial search.

According to officers familiar with the investigation, two of the bodies were lying on the floor, while the remaining three were found on a bed.

Early findings led police to suspect that Ashok may have opened fire on his family before killing himself. However, officials stressed that multiple possibilities are still under examination.

The case took on a darker turn after investigators revealed that a cryptic voice note had been sent by Ashok to a relative around 3 am, just hours before the deaths came to light.

In the message, he reportedly sounded deeply troubled and said, “Mere se bohot badi galti ho gayi hai, me kya karu (I’ve made a big mistake, what do I do).” Police have since recovered several such voice messages and are analysing them as part of the probe.

The tragedy surfaced around 7 am when a relative living nearby tried to contact the family. Repeated knocks went unanswered.

The relative then attempted to enter the house by climbing the building but failed, after which the police were alerted. Officers broke open the door and found all five victims in a pool of blood.

Ashok was employed as an amin, a land surveyor and revenue official, with the district administration. He had reportedly secured the job on compassionate grounds following his father’s death. Police said he had been undergoing treatment for depression, a factor now being closely reviewed.

Investigators said blackening around the wounds suggested the shots were fired from very close range. They also claimed there were no signs of forced entry or a struggle inside the house, making the involvement of an outsider less likely at this stage.

Another aspect under scrutiny is whether the victims were sedated before being shot.

Officials are also examining whether the family was facing financial strain, job-related stress, domestic disagreements, or other forms of mental pressure.

One line of inquiry relates to Ashok’s reported desire to move back to his ancestral village home, a proposal that other family members were said to have opposed.

While neighbours described the family as quiet and well-mannered, with no known disputes in the area, police are not ruling anything out.

CCTV footage from the vicinity is being reviewed, and neighbours are being questioned. All mobile phones belonging to the family have been seized for forensic analysis.

Senior police officers said no formal complaint has yet been filed by relatives of the deceased. A forensic team and a dog squad were deployed at the scene to gather evidence.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examinations, and officials said the final cause and sequence of deaths will become clearer once the reports are received.