Panchkula police mum, questions remain unanswered in family suicide case

A day after the harrowing discovery of seven members of a family dead in an apparent suicide pact, the Panchkula police remain largely incommunicado, deepening public unease and leaving many questions unanswered. While the initial findings point toward a collective suicide driven by massive debt, the silence from authorities and the absence of a clear narrative have only added to the confusion and speculation surrounding the case.

The victims — Parveen Mittal, his wife Reena, their three minor children, and Parveen’s elderly parents — were found inside a parked car in a vacant plot in Sector 27 late Monday night. Parveen, the only one found alive, died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Before his death, he claimed responsibility for the act, citing unmanageable financial burdens as the motive.

Yet, beyond this basic explanation, the investigation has yielded little clarity. The police have not been able to establish how the family arrived at the Sector 27 location, or what their movements were in the hours leading up to the deaths. CCTV footage and call records are being examined, but no clear trail has emerged.

Awaiting answers

Why was a car chosen as the site of the act?

The choice of location — a public area far from their Saketri residence

If this was a well-planned suicide, why wasn’t it carried out in private?

If the financial crisis was long-standing, what prompted the family to take the extreme step now?

The family’s social isolation further complicates the case.

Two handwritten notes absolve others of blame and declare the act as voluntary, adding to the mystery.

Why would Parveen use someone else’s car in such a calculated act? Was it to avoid recognition or implicate no one from his own family?

DCP (Crime) Amit Dahiya had confirmed on Tuesday that the claims that the family went to Bageshwar Dham’s Hanumant Katha had not matched with the CCTV footage yet as the car was seen roaming in Sector 27 approximately from 6:45 pm onwards till the time it was discovered by residents Puneet Rana and Harshit Rana.

The unexplained choice of location — a public area far from their Saketri residence — raises more questions. Why was a car chosen as the site of the act, especially when it involved elderly parents and young children? If this was a well-planned suicide, why not carry it out in private? Was the act meant to be discovered? Was it intended as a message, or was it a cry for help?

Equally perplexing is the timing. According to relatives, Parveen had been grappling with debt for more than 10 years. If the financial crisis was long-standing, why act now? Did something specific trigger the decision — a threat, a failed deal, or a legal notice? Or had years of pressure and isolation finally broken the family’s spirit?

While Parveen Mittal himself had claimed that debt was the reason, but no solid lead has been presented so far on the mounting pressure of lenders if there was any. Be it Parveen’s in-laws, his paternal or maternal relatives, all have maintained that the heavy financial loss was incurred almost 10 years ago when he failed to return the loan of about Rs 1 crore taken from Union Bank of India in Baddi for his scraps business operated in a factory. The bank in return sealed his properties and cars in Panchkula and since then he absconded to various cities and ultimately started afresh in Dehradun.

During that period, the family remain estranged from all relatives of the couple, and reappeared almost seven years ago. Each relative has maintained that they were making a living in Dehradun comfortably as Praveen started running a tours and travels business. They started meeting relatives and also attended family functions and a wedding on April 30.

Sandeep Aggarwal, one of Parveen’s cousins whose name was mentioned in the alleged suicide note, shared, “I had lent Rs 50,000 to Parveen as he was not having a stable income in the past three months, but there was no immediate pressure of debt that could have led to his massive step of taking life of his whole family. We would really like to see the suicide note ourselves to believe what has transpired on Monday night. I got a call from the police around 10 pm. Earlier, I believed it to be a prank call. It still doesn’t seem true.”

Mental health also emerges as a possible factor. The police had recovered a bottle labelled Risnia, an antipsychotic medication, from the vehicle. This suggests that someone in the family may have been undergoing treatment for a psychological disorder. Whether this was related to depression, schizophrenia, or another mental illness has not yet been confirmed. Still, it raises concerns about the family’s mental state and the possibility of untreated or undiagnosed conditions influencing their actions.

The family’s social isolation further complicates the picture. Parveen’s real brother, who lives at Rajiv Colony in Panchkula, had apparently been estranged from the family for some time.

Adding to the mystery are two handwritten notes found in the vehicle. Both reportedly absolve others of blame and declare the act as voluntary. However, forensic testing is pending, and the police have not confirmed whether the notes were written solely by Parveen. Could someone have helped orchestrate or pressured the family into this decision? So far, foul play has not been ruled out.

The use of a borrowed vehicle from Dehradun adds another puzzling element. The car was registered in the name of Gambhir Singh Negi, who said he had met Parveen through an NGO. Investigators are now examining whether there was any financial arrangement or deeper connection between the two. Why would Parveen use someone else’s car in such a calculated act? Was it to avoid recognition or implicate no one from his own family?

Meanwhile, the only indication of the family’s whereabouts on Monday comes from a reference to attending a spiritual discourse by Bageshwar Dham in Panchkula. Despite five police teams being formed and investigations spanning Dehradun, Pinjore, and Panchkula, no official timeline or conclusive motive has been shared publicly. “We are exploring all angles,” a senior officer said off the record, but official communication remains sparse.

For now, the tragedy of the Mittal family remains not only a story of financial despair but one marked by secrecy, psychological anguish, and a desperate search for truth.

Chandigarh