The Kolkata Police may have unravelled the mystery around the complex case of triple murders and alleged attempted suicides that sent shockwaves across the city last month. On February 19, three members of a family were found dead in their home in Tangra on the outskirts of Kolkata. The case came to light when two brothers and the son of one of them crashed their car into a pillar, allegedly to die by suicide. When they were questioned by the police, they disclosed about the bodies in their home.
Now, one of the brothers, Prasun Dey, has confessed that he killed all three – wife Romi Dey, their 14-year-old daughter and sister-in-law Sudeshna Dey. It was revealed during his questioning that a Rs 16 crore debt could have led to the murders.
The brothers – Pranay and Prasun Dey – lived with their wives in the Tangra home. Pranay Dey’s son and Prasun Dey’s daughter were the other occupants of the house.
In his chilling testimony to the police, Mr Dey – a businessman – revealed that he had first made a pact with his wife, brother and brother’s wife to die by suicide over the staggering debt. The murders were a fallout of the failed suicide plan.
The Suicide Pact That Led To Murders
On February 17, the family of six had ‘payesh‘ (rice pudding) mixed with sleeping pills. However, all of them woke up alive the next day. It was then that the brothers and their wives moved on to their Plan B. They decided to help each other end their lives, he told police.
According to the police, their children apparently did not know anything about the murky plan.
During interrogation, Prasun Dey claimed that he first smothered his daughter using a pillow while his wife aided him in the act by holding her feet. Then his wife Romi slit her wrists. However, when that didn’t work, he slit her wrists and throat, the police said, adding he then killed his sister-in-law the same way.
Later that night, Prasun Dey left the house in a car with his brother and nephew. After 3 am, their car hit a pillar. The brother later alleged that they took that step to die by suicide. The police also want to record Pranoy Dey’s statement and take him into custody. He is currently being treated for his injuries in a hospital.
Prasun and Pranay Dey had been undergoing treatment at the state-run Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata under police watch after sustaining injuries in the apparent suicide attempt.
‘Rs 16 Crore Debt’
Prasun Dey’s interrogation has also revealed that the family was under a massive debt of Rs 16 crore. The brothers decided to take the extreme step because of this debt, the police said.
The EMIs, close to Rs 47 lakh, of two of their three cars were also due, it added.
Prasun Dey was arrested yesterday after he was interrogated for hours by the Kolkata Police after his release from the hospital.
He was produced before a court earlier today. The court remanded him to police custody till March 6.