Woman and daughters found dead on railway tracks
New Delhi: It was a heart-wrenching scene when Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel found a toddler lying near her mother and sisters' bodies on the railway tracks in East Delhi in the wee hours of Thursday morning. "Looking at the bodies, it seems that trains might have hit or crossed over them and the toddler (1.5 years) was lying in the middle of tracks. Earlier we thought that he also died but suddenly one of our men saw his head move and then he was taken to the hospital. It was his luck, 10 minutes after his rescue another train passed through the same tracks," an RPF personnel said.
According to the RPF, between 3:50 am to 4 am on Thursday, they were informed by Mandawali railway station staff regarding a body lying on the tracks. When the staff reached the spot, they found four people. "Three have died but the baby was alive and was injured. We found a mobile phone near the body of the woman and informed her husband, he said, adding that the bodies were then handed over to the police," the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railway) Harendra Singh said the woman lived with her family in the Mandawali area. "It seems like a case of suicide but we are further investigating the matter," he said.
The woman's husband is a rickshaw puller and they were living in a rented accommodation. An official privy to the investigation said the family was living in a small room and paying around Rs 2,000 as rent. The deceased's brother is also a rickshaw puller. "There is no doubt the family was poor as the husband was pulling a rented e-rickshaw," the official said.
Speaking to Millennium Post, the woman's brother said that he had no idea why his sister took such an extreme step. When asked whether poverty was the reason behind the incident, he replied that he had no knowledge.
The woman got married in 2012. Police said she used to go out with her children but usually returned by the evening. However, this time she took her husband's mobile phone when he had gone to work. On returning home, the man searched for her and their children, but to no avail.
While investigating the case they questioned the landlord to know whether there was an argument between the husband and the wife (deceased), he informed police that he was not aware. The police are continuing the probe from various angles such as whether the woman had taken such an extreme step due to financial stress or some dispute with her husband.
The deceased's son who was injured in the incident today was discharged from the LBS hospital and handed over to his aunt in the presence of his father and uncle, police added.