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Late morning on Monday, 20 June, neighbours of 52-year-old Popat Vanmore, in Mhaisal village in Maharashtra's Sangli district, noticed that no one had opened the door to collect milk. When they entered the Vanmore home, they found bodies of Popat, his wife Sangeeta (48), and their daughter Archana (30), Sangli Police told local media.
About a kilometre away, a crowd had gathered outside Popat's 49-year-old brother and veterinarian Dr Manik Vanmore's house.
The bodies of Popat's son Shubham (28) and the brothers' mother Akkatai (72) were also found in Dr Manik's house.
The family of nine left behind a suicide note, stating that continuous 'humiliation' over their inability to repay loans pushed them to take this extreme step.
An FIR has been filed against 25 people under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 341 (wrongful restraint), the relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Money Lending (Regulation) Act, and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Popat – who worked as a teacher in a government school in Mhaisal – and Dr Manik, were the primary breadwinners of the family. Popat's daughter Archana was also working at a bank in Kolhapur.
The family did not have financial troubles until they decided to start a manufacturing business about four or five years ago, Popat's colleague, who did not want to be named, told The Quint.
According to Sangli police, the Vanmores allegedly borrowed around Rs 1 crore and were paying interest regularly, but could not keep up with the accrued interest that was inevitably piling up. However, initial investigation showed that they were "repeatedly harassed physically and mentally – and harassed in public sometimes."
Poonam Chundaj, who lives next door to the Vanmore family, told The Quint that the family was waiting to for "better financial times" to fix Archana's marriage.
Chundaj has tried many times to feed Ranu and Manya – the two kittens left behind by the Vanmore family – but they have not eaten since the family's death.
“I literally grew up in their home,” Ashwini Sawant, a close family friend, told The Indian Express.
Sangli cops also told local media that there is no 'suicide pact' or 'superstition' angle, like in the 2018 Burari case in Delhi, where 11 people from a family were found dead inside their homes.
According to news agency PTI, those arrested have been identified as Nandkumar Ramchandra Pawar (52), Rajendra Lakshman Bannne (50), Anil Lakshman Banne (35), Khanderao Shinde (37), Tatyasaheb Chougule (50), Shailesh Ramchandra Dhumal (56), Prakash Krushna Pawar (45), Sanjay Irappa Bagadi (51), Anil Balu Borade (48), Pandurang Shripati Ghorpade (56), Shivaji Laxman Kore (65), and Rekha Tatyasaheb Chougule (45).
Maharashtra police teams have spread across Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur and border areas of Karnataka to trace 12 other accused in the case.
(With inputs from Vijay Patil)
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