New Delhi, February 10 The alleged mass suicide of a family in Mathura has evoked chilling memories of similar cases the country has witnessed in the past, and has sparked widespread conversations about mental health, social or financial pressure, and even the influence of occult practices.
A couple and their three minor children were found dead inside their home in Mathura's Khapparpur village on Tuesday. The recovery of a suicide note, a video made by the family patriarch found on his mobile phone, and a message scribbled on a wall has led police to suspect it was a case of mass suicide.
Here is a list of some 'mass suicide' and 'suicide pact' cases reported in India over the years:
* Peeragarhi, New Delhi (2026): Three people, including a woman, were found dead inside an abandoned car near the Peeragarhi flyover on February 8, police said, suspecting it to be a case of a suicide pact. The investigation is now focused on a self-styled mystic whose acquittal in several past criminal cases due to lack of evidence has made him a key focus of the probe.
* Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh (2026): In an apparent suicide pact, three sisters – Nishika (16), Prachi (14), and Pakhi (12) – who were 'depressed' after their father took away their cell phones – citing their obsession with Korean culture – died after jumping off the balcony of their ninth-floor home on February 4.
They left behind a chilling note that said, "Read everything written in this diary, it is all here." It was accompanied by a crying face emoji and a handwritten message, "Sorry papa, I am really sorry."
* Aurangabad, Bihar (2026): Four girls, aged between 10 and 14 years, allegedly died by suicide on January 29 after their parents scolded them for mingling with boys. Five girls had reportedly consumed some poisonous substance, and only one of them survived.
* Panchkula, Haryana (2025): In an apparent suicide pact case, six members of a family, including three children, were found dead inside a car in Panchkula on May 26, while another died on his way to a hospital.
Family patriarch, Praveen Mittal (41), spoke to a local moments before his death, claiming his family was under a huge debt and they had all committed suicide. A note found in the car revealed that the family was under immense financial stress that led them to take the extreme step.
* Vasant Kunj, New Delhi (2024): On September 27, the decomposed bodies of Heera Lal Sharma (46), a carpenter, and his four daughters, two of whom were differently abled, were recovered from their residence at Rangpuri village. Police suspected it to be a case of a suicide pact.
During the probe, the police also discovered that the man was in touch with an 'exorcist' for the treatment of one of his daughters.
* Surat, Gujarat (2023): Seven members of a family, including three children, were found dead at an apartment in Adajan locality in Surat city, with the police suspecting it to be a case of mass suicide. A note was also recovered from their house, which said that the family was taking the extreme step out of financial distress.
* Sangli, Maharashtra (2022): Nine members of the families of two brothers were found dead in a suspected case of a suicide pact. Investigations suggested that the brothers had borrowed heavily from various people. The bodies were found in two different houses of the brothers, located 1.5km apart.
Burari, New Delhi (2018): The mass suicide of a family of 11 in Burari shook the national capital. Ten of the 11 members of the Chundawat family were found hanging from an iron mesh in the ceiling, while the body of 77-year-old Narayan Devi, the head of the family, was lying on the floor in another room of the house.
The police tried their hand at everything, probing every angle, including occult, psychology, superstition, and using the latest investigative techniques to crack one of the city's most sensational cases.