NEW DELHI: Animal lovers, reserved, emotionally and financially broken; this is how the shocked residents of Vasant Apartments described Manju and her two daughters, who were found dead at their residence in Vasant Vihar.
A police crime scene tape was found pasted outside their two flats. In one of them, Manju (55), Ankita (30) and Anshika (26) were found dead on Saturday evening. Prima facie, it was a case of suicide by inhaling toxic gases coming from an angithi. Plastic foil was seen pasted on the exhaust outside the house.
Pammy Mudgil (54), a neighbour, said the family had shifted to the house in the mid-90s. They were natives of Kanpur. The family had two flats. Manju’s husband Umesh was a senior accountant, while both the daughters had completed BCom. Umesh was the sole breadwinner.
“Umesh was a very nice person. He used to greet everyone outside, but the other family members rarely came out from their house,” said Mudgil. In 2018, when Mudgil’s house was getting renovated, she used to live in Umesh’s second flat. “Anshika used to do the household chores. 2018 was the last year when I went into their flat to pay rent. Otherwise, the girl used to come to collect rent while bringing medicines for her mother,” she added.
Kamla Devi, the family’s household help for the past 10-11 years, said, “Things were better before the pandemic. The family had helped me with money during the delivery of my child. Anshika used to interact with me regularly. When Covid-19 started, Umesh told me to leave as they had no money to pay me. After his death last year, the family started facing problems. While the mother was bedridden, both daughters went into depression.”
“After Umesh’s death due to Covid, the family told me they had got some monetary help from the government. On Thursday, I got a call from Anshika and she asked me to tell Jain uncle, a grocer, that his dues would be paid on Saturday,” she said. Things seemed fine on Friday too, when Devi talked to the family.
On Saturday evening, when Devi called them, no one picked up the phone. “I went to their house and knocked, but no one opened the door. I left for work. Later, a shopkeeper also knocked on the door, but got no response. When I returned from work, I sent my son, but no one responded. A resident then called the PCR,” she said.
Vasant Apartments RWA president M David said last year Umesh was admitted to AIIMS for treatment of Covid-19. Other family members were also affected by the virus. “After Umesh died, Anshika told me she had nothing. The residents contributed money for cremation and their expenses,” he added.
The residents claimed Ankita had some health issues. David said the girls had completed their schooling and might have completed further education through correspondence.
“Anshika used to come out only to feed dogs and cats,” said 32-year-old Durga, a resident. Hans Kumar Jain, the grocer, said he went to their house on Saturday to get his dues. “They never come out of their house and I used to get grocery delivered,” he added.
The kin of the deceased were seen at Safdarjung hospital where autopsy was on. Anshul, a relative, said last month he had spoken to Anshika and everything seemed fine. “No one ever thought they would take such a step. Both the daughters were very close to their father. They were emotionally and financially broken down after his death,” he added.
SS Srivastava, another relative, said Umesh was planning to get Ankita married and wanted to make Anshika a chartered accountant.
