Tragedy amid Covid-19 for reclusive Virar family

The rescue of a 36yearold woman who tried to kill herself at Arnala beach on Wednesday led the police to the highly decomposed body of her 71yearold father at their home in Virar West After Haridas Saharkarrsquos death on August 1 the family kept the body at home fearing quarantine if he were to test Covid19 positive It has also emerged that the rescued woman Swapnal and her sister Vidya had made a suicide pact as neither was able to find a job amid the pandemic Vidya 40 died by suicide on TuesdayAccording to Hari Mishra the broker who got them the Virar flat the Saharkar family including the two daughters their mother Vijya and Haridas had moved to the flat only a week ago Haridas was a rationing officer with the state government and retired in 2007How case unravelledThe matter came to light after the police and morning walkers rescued Swapnal who had consumed multiple pills and had gone to Arnala beach on Wednesday morning to die by suicideldquoAfter the rescue operation we asked her why she wanted to end her life She said she had no job She also told us that her elder sister has died by suicide and her father had died at home on August 1rdquo said Raju Mane senior inspector of Arnala policeAlso read Newborn girl thrown off 7storey building in Virar teen bookedArnala beach on Wednesday Swapnal was rescued at the beach in the morningOn Tuesday the Arnala police had found the body of a woman ldquoWhen we showed Swapnal the photograph of this unknown woman she immediately identified her as Vidya her sisterrdquo Mane saidldquoSwapnal told us that her fatherrsquos body had been kept for days at her flat We immediately reached there forced open the door and found the body It has been sent for a postmortemrdquo Mane addedThe family used camphor naphthalene balls room fresheners and other incense materials to suppress the smell from their 1BHK flatHe added ldquoBoth sisters did not earn a penny and were living with their parents Swapnal said they had been trying to find a job to run the house and pay the rent but the lockdown had added to their woesrdquo A source added that the sisters studied BComldquoSwapnal said that her father was very strict After his death the sisters got scared and preferred not to inform anyone lest the municipal corporation send them into quarantine if he were to test positiverdquo a police source saidDeputy Commissioner of Police DCP Prashant Waghunde said ldquoThere was some internal dispute and the daughters did not want to conduct the last rites We are investigating the matterrdquoSisters applied everywhereldquoSwapnal and Vidya had been applying everywhere but they did not get a job After Haridasrsquos death they decided to end their lives as they did not have a source of incomerdquo the source addedHaridas SaharkarThe source added that the sisters consumed sleeping pills and naphthalene balls late on Monday to end their lives ldquoBut they did not die so they also cut their wrists and their forearms stomach and other parts of their bodiesrdquo the source saidldquoThen the sisters decided to drown in the sea Due to the heavy sleeping pills they dozed off Vidya woke up later and tried to arouse Swapnal too but she was too lethargic due to the pills So Vidya left by herself and reached Navapur beach in Arnala and died by suicide Her body was recovered on Tuesdayrdquo added the sourceldquoAt home when Swapnal woke up and did not find her sister around she knew she had died Then she too hired a rickshaw and went to Navapur beach on Wednesday to end her life but she was rescued by alert citizens and the policerdquo the source addedSelfharm uncommonThe medical officer of the government hospital in Agashi Dr Rugved Dudhat said that Vidyarsquos postmortem has been conducted and her viscera has been preserved for chemical analysis ldquoShe died due to drowning but we have some queries and have preserved the viscera We have found multiple Contused Lacerated Wounds CLW all over her body mdash on the arms forearms and stomach These are selfinflicted wounds Only a person suffering from a psychiatric disorder can make such CLWs In another scenario such selfinflicted wounds are made under pressure All cuts are deep There were no signs of struggle on her bodyrdquo Dr Dudhat saidAs for Haridas Dr Dudhat said ldquoThe cause of Haridasrsquos death was not determined as the body is severely decomposed There were no injury marksrdquo Dr Dudhat saidSwapnal has tested negative for Covid19 said Dr Dudhat who has suggested the police to lsquolook more into the casersquoPolice disturbedArnala police have registered two separate Accidental Death ReportsldquoStaying with a body for four days is not a good sign It is very disturbingrdquo a police officer saidSources said that the stench at the Sharakar residence was too bad to bear ldquoThe policemen had covered their face yet they could not help puking Their clothes had the foul smell and their masks had to be thrown away as they too had the stenchrdquo a source saidSenior Inspector Mane added ldquoSwapnal and her elderly mother will be sent to a rehabilitation centre where they will be given required treatmentrdquoA police officer told midday that the family was preparing meals daily and eating in the hall while the body was kept in the bedroom ldquoSometimes the sisters brought eatables from outsiderdquo the source saidAssistant Commissioner of Police Chandrakant Jadhav said that Haridas had high blood pressure ldquoOn the day he died he suffered chest pain The daughters gave him medicine But he did not surviverdquo said JadhavNeighbours shockedMost Brooklyn Park residents refused to comment on the matter One resident Pramod Sawant said ldquoIt had been smelling a lot in the complex I thought it could be a dead mouse We tried to locate the source of the smell We had called a technician to check the lift corridor he was supposed to come on Thursday but police arrived in the morning and what happened then was really shockingrdquoThe Saharkar familyrsquos landlord Santosh Singh did not wish to comment on the matterlsquoThey stopped talkingrsquoNeighbours from Haridasrsquos old flat in Cotton Green said he used to live in Abhyudaya Nagar In 2017 he sold the house and left He did not inform anyone before leavingMadhuri Khatate who was Saharkarsrsquo neighbour for many years said the family had lived there for 35 to 40 years ldquoWe had got to hear from people that they had gone to Panvelrdquo Khatate added that until 2010 the Saharkars used to mingle with everyone ldquoBut one day they suddenly stopped talking to people They even stopped drying clothes in the balcony of their houserdquo Khatate saidKhatate said Vidya and Swapnal were good in studies and were graduates ldquoA few years ago Saharkarrsquos brother used to visit him but later he stopped and so did other relativesrdquo Khatate said adding that she did not know if the sisters were employedNilesh Kharat another neighbour said Swapnal had appeared for an exam to get a government job and had passed too but did not take it up ldquoWhen the sisters were younger they used to play with other kids in the area But one day they suddenly stopped speaking to everyone We never understood whyrdquo Kharat saidGokhale who refused to give his first name who lives in the same building said Haridas used to greet everyone with a smile but that slowly stopped ldquoAfter the family left two policemen came to enquire about Haridas We told the cops that the family had left We donrsquot know why they were asking about Haridasrdquo Gokhale said2007Year Haridas Sharkar retired2017Year the family sold their Cotton Green house and left