A 30-year-old Indian Navy serviceman from Kakarana village in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, Puranmal Mehra, his 26-year-old wife Oma Mehra and their two young children were found dead at their government accommodation in Navy Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai. Police are investigating suicide, a suspected poisonous substance, a family dispute and other possible causes, with the exact circumstances expected to be established through post-mortem and forensic examinations.
According to Mumbai Police, Puranmal’s body was found hanging inside a room, while his wife and the two children were found on a bed. The children included a three-year-old son and a daughter aged about two months.
Police have not reached a final conclusion on the cause of death and are examining all possible aspects of the case.
Preliminary police information indicates that Puranmal may have died by hanging, while his wife and children are suspected to have died after consuming a poisonous substance. These possibilities have not yet been officially confirmed.
Police officials said the circumstances surrounding the deaths will become clear only after the post-mortem reports and forensic examination. There is no information about the recovery of a suicide note from the scene. Police have also not confirmed the involvement of any outside person so far.
Investigators are collecting information about a possible family dispute, mental stress and other potential causes. Murder and suicide are among the different aspects being examined.
The preliminary police investigation has indicated that Puranmal and his wife had been involved in a family dispute for some time. Police are gathering information about the nature and seriousness of the dispute.
It has also been reported that Oma’s father had arrived in Mumbai a few days earlier and had expressed a desire to take his daughter with him. This development has also been included in the investigation. Police have not said that the family dispute was the cause of the four deaths.
Investigators are examining the circumstances within the family before the incident and what happened before the four deaths. Police are also gathering information from neighbours and family members.
According to the family, attempts had been made to contact Puranmal for the previous three days, but he had not answered his phone.
His younger brother Mukesh Kumar said the family had been continuously calling him without receiving a response.
The family subsequently informed Navy officials on Saturday. At around 11 pm that night, the family received a call from Mumbai informing them of Puranmal’s death. The family did not receive complete information about the incident at that time.
Following the news, information about the deaths spread in Kakarana village. Villagers said Puranmal was known as a sociable and helpful person and that they were not aware of any enmity involving him.
According to the family, Puranmal Mehra joined the Indian Navy from Jodhpur in 2015 and served in the Navy for about a decade. He married Oma Mehra, a resident of Khandela in Sikar district, in 2020.
The family said Puranmal had visited his village Kakarana about nine months ago. He had also spoken to his family by phone about six days before the incident. He was reportedly on about 20 days of leave recently and was not on duty during that period.
Puranmal was the second of three brothers. His elder brother Brijlal Mehra is also serving in the Army, while his younger brother Mukesh Kumar lives in the village. Their father, Shambhu Dayal, runs a grocery shop in the village.
According to villagers, Puranmal was known for his calm and cooperative nature. Family members were reportedly being informed about the incident gradually, and not all relatives were immediately given complete information.
According to the family, all four bodies will be brought to their ancestral village Kakarana. The last rites will then be conducted in the village.
The family is awaiting the police investigation and reports to establish the circumstances and causes of the deaths
Mumbai Police are completing the required legal and forensic procedures in the case. Investigators are examining the family’s circumstances before the incident, whether any dispute had taken place and whether there was any other possible reason behind the deaths.
Police have so far not confirmed the involvement of any outside person. Further action will be determined on the basis of the post-mortem reports, forensic examination and other evidence.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no final conclusion has been reached regarding the circumstances of the four deaths.
