Attack in Lokpriya Vihar

A 47-year-old man allegedly killed his wife and one of his daughters at their fourth-floor flat in Lokpriya Vihar, Khoda, Ghaziabad, on Friday night following an argument over his depression medication. The suspect, identified as Mohammad Raja Ansari, was arrested from the spot, police said.

The victims were identified as Baby Tabassum Ansari, 43, and her 16-year-old daughter Sana, according to both Times Now and The Times of India. Hindustan Times reported the deceased daughter's age as 15. The surviving daughter, Zoya, is 14 years old, as reported by all three outlets.

Ansari, an accountant at a meat shop in Ghazipur Mandi, is originally from Madihar in Bihar's Araria district. The family had been living in the flat for about three years, and the couple married in 2002, according to Times Now and The Times of India. Hindustan Times quoted the wife's brother, Islamuddin Ansari, as saying the couple had been married for 17 years.

The Incident

According to police accounts reported by Times Now and The Times of India, the family had dinner and went to bed around 10 pm. Before sleeping, Baby asked Ansari to take his depression medication. When he refused, an argument broke out after she insisted again.

Around 11.30 pm, Ansari went to the kitchen, picked up a large knife, and attacked Baby while she was sleeping, inflicting a fatal throat injury. Times Now and The Times of India reported that Sana rushed into the room after hearing her mother's screams. She tried to hide under a staircase, but Ansari spotted her; he then attacked her, and she was later found with her throat slit.

Zoya, who came to the room next, was also attacked, the knife striking her hip. She managed to open the main door and escape. Neighbours, alerted by the commotion, overpowered Ansari and took the knife from him, holding him until police arrived, as reported by both Times Now and The Times of India.

All three victims were taken to a hospital, where doctors declared Baby and Sana dead. Zoya, who was treated for her injuries, is out of danger, police said.

Motive and Investigation

According to Times Now and The Times of India, Ansari told police that he attacked his wife after she repeatedly asked him to take his medication, and that he then decided to kill his daughters because he feared they would be left without care if he was jailed. He also told investigators that he had been suffering from depression and undergoing treatment for a long time.

Indirapuram ACP Suryabali Maurya said police will verify Ansari's depression claim by obtaining his medical records, as reported by Times Now and The Times of India.

Hindustan Times reported, citing police, that the suspect had been suffering from mental issues since 2022 and had recently stopped taking his medication. Police also described the murder as premeditated, with SHO Naresh Kumar Sharma saying, "The suspect planned to kill his family and procured a knife from the Ghazipur market where he worked."

Baby's brother, Islamuddin Ansari, told Hindustan Times that there was no family dispute. He said his brother-in-law had been in depression and on medication for years but had stopped taking medicine for the past one-and-a-half months. He added that the 14-year-old survivor told the family that her mother was pressing her father to continue his medicine, but he was not ready.

The 14-year-old told Hindustan Times that she woke up during the incident and saw her mother and sister trying to stop her father. She said she got injured, but a neighbourhood uncle took her downstairs to safety. Hindustan Times also reported that the 15-year-old was a Class 10 student at an east Delhi school and the 14-year-old is a Class 8 student.

Addressing mediapersons, Ansari said he faced financial burden due to growing household expenditures and health issues, and that he wanted to kill all three, including his younger daughter. He regretted his act, as reported by Hindustan Times.

A case was registered under sections 103(1) (murder) and 109(1) (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Khoda police station. The FIR was based on Zoya's complaint, according to all three outlets.