Woman, her 4 kids dead after inhaling fumes from brazier

New Delhi: A 30-year-old woman and her four children died after allegedly inhaling toxic smoke from an angithi (brazier) kept in their room in Shahdara's Seemapuri area on Wednesday, the Delhi Police said. According to police, a PCR call was received at around 1.30 pm regarding four to five people lying unconscious in a room on the fifth floor of a house in Old Seemapuri.

Upon reaching there, the woman and three of her kids were found dead while the fourth and the youngest one had been taken to a hospital but was declared dead by doctors there, a senior police officer said. During inquiries, it was found that one Mohit Kalia (35) along with his wife Radha and four children — two daughters and two sons — lived in the rented accommodation, the police said.

The flat belongs Amarpal Singh (60), a resident of Shalimar Garden, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram said.

Preliminary enquiry suggests they all died of suffocation due to the stove kept inside the room due to the severe cold as the small room had no ventilation, police said. Police said Mohit is in their custody. The elder brother of Radha alleged foul play in the incident.

"I was driving car when received a call around 1 pm. When I reached home, I saw my family members were crying and informed me that my sister and her four kids died this morning while they were sleeping. We immediately reached her residence.

"Mohit said that he was sleeping inside the room with his wife and kids. He woke up around 11 am and saw that they were sleeping and there was no movement. He tried to wake them up, but nothing happened and later he took his younger son to hospital," Radha's brother Bantu Kumar said outside the emergency ward of GTB Hospital.

How is it possible that the five members died and he is fine without any injury despite sharing the same room, Kumar said.

"We suspect that Mohit has done something as he escaped unhurt in the incident. We do not trust his theory. He is alcoholic and used to often fight with my sister over trivial issues," he said.

Kumar also said a the couple had quarrelled around 10 to 12 days ago. Mohit along with his family had shifted in the room around two-three days ago. Earlier, he was living in the same locality. Mohit works as a helper in private buses at Anand Vihar. Radha used to work as maid in nearby localities, Kumar said.