Police are investigating the deaths of five members of a family in Greater Noida, with a suspected suicide angle and a possible link to a family property dispute emerging during the probe. The arrests followed a complaint by Lalita’s brother, who alleged that the family had faced harassment. Police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against the three relatives. Their alleged involvement is being investigated.
Police examine audio message and poisoning angle
Officials said the cause of death would be confirmed only after the forensic examination. Police have arrested Mahesh’s sisters, Sunita and Sapna, and his brother-in-law, Shekhar, in connection with the case. Investigators are also examining an audio recording reportedly linked to Mahesh. In the message, he allegedly blamed his two sisters and brother-in-law for the family’s difficulties. Police are looking into the recording as part of their efforts to establish what led to the deaths. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. The audio message has become an important part of the investigation. Police are checking its contents and the circumstances in which it was recorded to establish the nature of the allegations made against the three relatives. Investigators are also checking whether a poisonous substance could have been mixed with the food consumed by the family. This possibility has not been conclusively established, and forensic findings are awaited. Police have examined CCTV footage from the area. Froth was reportedly noticed around the mouths of some family members. Forensic teams visited the house and collected material, including food samples, for examination. Police are examining the claims and have yet to establish the details of the transactions through official records. Police are now examining the audio message, CCTV footage, witness statements and property records. The laboratory findings are expected to help determine the cause of death and establish the circumstances in which the five family members died.
Mahesh, 37, his wife Lalita, 35, and their three children were found dead at their home in Nagla Shri Padam village, within the Rabupura police station limits, on Saturday. The children were identified as Laddu, 11, Mishti, seven, and Sakshat, three. They alleged that about six months before the deaths, another 10 bighas of land and the house occupied by Mahesh were transferred to one of his sisters and her husband. Mahesh, Lalita and their children visited his home around 10 days before the incident, and he did not notice anything unusual, according to him.
An investigating officer said the footage did not show anyone entering or leaving the house during the night after the family returned from a local fair. Relatives said there were no visible injury marks on the bodies. Sonu said Mahesh had earlier run a shop but later took up daily-wage work and occasional delivery jobs.
Family members allege dispute over land and houses
The incident came to light on Saturday morning when a boy from the neighbourhood went to Mahesh’s house to call the two older children for a school examination. This initially raised the possibility of food poisoning. However, post-mortem examinations indicated possible poisoning, and samples from all five bodies were preserved for laboratory tests. After receiving no response, he climbed over the boundary wall and entered the property. He then alerted others after finding the family unresponsive. Police reached the spot and began examining the house and the circumstances in which the five family members died. They alleged that Mahesh was worried about the ownership of the house where he lived with Lalita and their children. They claimed that the decisions over the assets had led to repeated disagreements within the family. Lalita’s sister, Pooja, alleged that the deaths were the result of murder and accused members of Mahesh’s family of being involved. Police have not established this allegation, and the circumstances of the deaths remain under investigation. Investigators are checking the family’s claims and examining property documents to determine whether the dispute was connected to the incident. Relatives claimed that Chandravati later transferred property and other benefits to her daughters. These claims have not been independently verified. Some relatives have linked his death to tensions over family property, but the alleged connection has not been independently established. She claimed that Mahesh had assured her he would help her obtain what she considered her rightful share of the family assets. He claimed they had not mentioned any immediate difficulty during the conversation.
They said Mahesh’s father, Kishan Lal, bought around 10 bighas of land in Nagla Padam in the early 2000s. The family allegedly received compensation of about Rs 1.25 crore from YEIDA in 2009, along with a plot under its 7 per cent developed-plot scheme. Sonu, Lalita’s brother, said some of the compensation money was used to build a house in Rabupura after Mahesh married Lalita in 2017. Relatives further alleged that after Kishan Lal died in 2023, an ancestral house in Delhi was transferred to two of his daughters. They also claimed that a house measuring 167 square metres in Nagla Padam was sold on August 18, 2025. Mahesh’s elder brother, Rahul, died by suicide in 2019. Rahul’s widow, Neeraj, said she left the family home after his death and now lives in rented accommodation with her 14-year-old daughter.
Relatives have told investigators that disagreements over family property had continued for years. Mahesh’s mother, Chandravati, had transferred property to her daughters, according to the relatives. The family dispute reportedly involves land acquired by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), according to relatives. Sonu also said he had spoken to the family over the phone two days before the deaths.
The family had reportedly eaten noodles and consumed tea on the night before the bodies were discovered. The couple and their children lived there, and Chandravati reportedly moved into the house about a year before the deaths.
