6 of family found dead in car in Haryana’s Panchkula, another dies at hospital

Six members of a family, three of them children, were found dead inside a car in Haryana’s Panchkula, while one more died on his way to a hospital, police said on Tuesday, suspecting a suicide pact.

The car was spotted late last night by a passerby, who even exchanged a few words with the family member who died last.

Initial investigations suggest the possibility of a collective suicide, allegedly driven by financial distress ‘due to debts of around Rs 15-20 crore’.

According to police, the family originally hailed from Uttarakhand and had previously lived in Panchkula. Police confirmed the identities of the deceased as Parveen Mittal, his wife Reena, their three children — twin girls believed to be around 12 or 13 years old, and a 14-year-old boy, and his parents — Deshraj Mittal and his spouse.

However, almost a month ago, Parveen and his family had moved to Saketri in Panchkula. The family had come from Dehradun and was living in a two-room rented accommodation.

Meanwhile, a handwritten note, believed to be authored by the family, was also recovered from inside the vehicle. Police have not disclosed its contents.

Senior police officials, including Panchkula DCP Himadri Kaushik and DCP Amit Dahiya, visited the spot shortly after the incident came to light. A forensic team was also called in to examine the vehicle and collect evidence.

“The vehicle is being thoroughly examined along with the surrounding area. While the case appears to be one of suicide, investigations are ongoing to ascertain the exact cause and circumstances of the deaths,” said DCP Kaushik.

The car was parked on an empty plot outside a house in Sector 27, drawing suspicion due to its covered windows.

Harsh, a resident of that house, told The Tribune, “When I went for a walk, I noticed a car parked with towels covering the windows. I knocked and opened the window — Parveen Mittal was inside and conscious. He said the family had come to a Bageshwar Dham event and were searching for a hotel, but his kids had fallen asleep so they stopped there. His response seemed suspicious, so we looked inside and saw the other family members were unresponsive. We immediately alerted the police.”

When officials arrived, six members of the family were already dead, while Parveen Mittal was found unconscious but still breathing. He was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where he later succumbed.

DCP (Crime) Amit Dahiya told The Tribune that a thorough investigation is underway and no angle is being ruled out. “Five police teams have been deployed to examine all possible aspects,” he added.

Meanwhile, Parveen’s father-in-law, Rakesh, stated that the family was burdened with massive debts amounting to several crores, which had severely impacted their lives. Parveen had been running a taxi business at the time.

Sandeep Aggarwal, a relative, revealed that the family had vacated Panchkula around nine years ago, leaving behind their property, including residential flats, a vehicle, and a factory in Baddi.

According to him, the family was facing debts estimated at Rs 15–20 crore and had also reportedly received threats. The family’s roots trace back to Hisar.

Manish Chaudhary, the landlord of the Saketri house where the Mittals recently lived, said, “Parveen called me on Monday morning and said they were leaving the city since the children’s summer vacation had started. When I asked if the elders — his parents — would be going too, he replied that the entire family was leaving.”

ACP (Headquarters) Vikram Nehra noted that a towel had been draped over the car’s rear window, further raising red flags. Two handwritten notes were recovered from inside the vehicle. Although not officially deemed suicide notes, forensic analysis is underway.

Preliminary findings suggest Parveen claimed sole responsibility and cited severe financial distress as the reason behind the act.

The bodies were shifted to the mortuary at the Civil Hospital in Sector 6 for post-mortem examination.

Chandigarh