Burari mass deaths: Brand new dupattas were used for hanging, written notes reveal

NEW DELHI: All the members of the Bhatia family used brand new chunnis or dupattas to hang themselves, sources told Zee media. The handwritten notes maintained by some members of family points out that not a single old dupatta was used. 

The Bhatia family allegedly removed the roof shed and tied the chunnis to the iron-mesh in the ceiling. 

Meanwhile, the police interrogated Tantrik Geeta Maa in connection with the deaths. “There is nothing which suggests that she is connected with this case,” said Deputy Commissioner of Delhi Police.

The police are also scanning the call detail records of the 11 family members. The focus is on the CDRs of the last four-five months. It was around this time that the notes, confiscated by the police from their house, make a mention of "badh tapasya" or Banyan tree puja rituals that the family replicated on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Five days ago, bodies of 11 person – seven women and four men – were recovered from a two-storey house on July 1. Ten of them were hanging with their hands tied, mouths gagged and eyes covered with cloth pieces. The eldest in the Bhatia family, Narayani Devi, who was into grocery and plywood businesses, was found lying dead. An autopsy report concluded that she too died of partial hanging.

Her daughter Pratibha (57) and two sons Bhavnesh (50) and Lalit (45) were among the deceased.

Bhavnesh's wife Savita (48) and their three children - Maneka (23), Neetu (25), and Dhirendra (15) were also found dead.

The others who were found hanging were Lalit's wife Tina (42), their 15-year-old son Dushyant and Pratibha's daughter Priyanka, who was engaged last month and was supposed to get married by year-end.

On Wednesday, CCTV footage showed the family bought goods five stools and bandage from shops close to their home and used them in the ritual hanging.