Two days after three minor half-sisters jumped to their death from their apartment in Ghaziabad, police on Friday said they were still awaiting the results of the fingerprint analysis and the forensic examination of the handwriting in the suicide note.
The three sisters, aged 11, 14, and 16, allegedly jumped from their ninth-floor flat around 2am on Wednesday. The father has alleged the girls’ actions were linked to online gaming platforms. They lived with their father, his two wives (who are sisters), a brother and another sister.
“We have not concluded the investigation so far,” Nimish Patil, deputy commissioner of police (DCP – trans-Hindon zone, told HT. “Our forensic team is trying to find out the locking pattern of the door of the puja room from where the girls jumped out. The forensic examination of the handwriting found in the suicide note is pending, as is the fingerprint analysis (taken from the room).”
“The videos in the lift and the issue of the second flat will also be taken up as part of the investigation. We will also question the girl’s father in detail,” the DCP added, referring to two videos of the family from the lift after the girls jumped to their death and a second leased flat in a different residential tower of the same high-rise that has surfaced.
The office bearers of the apartment owners’ association (AOA) of the high-rise told HT on Friday that they had accessed two videos from the lift of the tower the family lived in, captured around 2.04am and 2.29am.
The videos, seen by HT, show the father and their mothers. The eldest daughter was born to the first wife; the two younger girls to the second. In both videos, the father and one of the women appear to be speaking to the second woman who is crying. The woman and the father are also seen slapping the crying woman in the other video. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
“We have given both these videos, captured in CCTV installed in the lift, to the police,” said Jai Prakash Thakur, AOA president.
AOA members also said that the father on Thursday had the electricity recharged for another flat in another tower of the same complex. The father took the flat on a two-year lease in February 2024, according to agreement papers, said Rahul Kumar Jha, the AOA joint secretary, adding, “Their father also has a car, which is parked in the high-rise.”
“We will hand over all documents and details to the police,” said Jha.
On Friday, the family’s residence was locked and they could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, police have yet to clear the incident site, which is still cordoned off. Bloodstains, bloodstained clothes, and three circles marking where the girls fell are still visible.
Residents said they have stopped using the park adjacent to the area because it reminds them of the tragedy.
The AOA office bearers said that they cannot remove the secured incident site without police permission.
“It is only after the police permission that our maintenance staff will clean up the site. Taking cues from the incident, we will soon hold an awareness camp for residents, especially for dealing with children who prefer online gaming and online content. My daughter and her 4-5 friends have not visited the park and nearby coaching centre (about 30 feet from the incident site) since the incident. All of them are afraid, and people are also not visiting the park,” said the AOA president.
The complex is divided into two sections and phase 1, where the incident took place, has 1,946 flats. Phase 2 has 950 flats, AOA members said.
“The three girls fell to the ground just outside the park-facing door of our flat, where we moved about a month ago. We have locked that door and are using the other gate since the incident site has not been cleared,” said Anirudh Agarwal, the resident of a ground-floor flat.
Another resident, requesting not to be named, said, “It is highly unimaginable that the deceased girls were not sent to school. It has become a talking point among residents. Only a few people have been visiting the park since the incident.”
The DCP said, “We will soon get the incident site cleared up.”