A 48-year-old government school teacher and her daughter committed suicide by hanging themselves in their residence in Old Roshanpura, Najafgarh, in Southwest Delhi on Monday.

The two women have been identified as Anita and her 18-year-old daughter, Siya. Their bodies were taken to Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital on Jaffarpur Kalan for post- mortem after which the bodies were handed over to the relatives for cremation. A three-page suicide note has also been recovered from their residence.

The incident came to light on Monday morning when the husband, Satpal Yadav, principal of government boys school, tried calling his wife from his mobile to tell them that he had arrived in Delhi. Satpal and his son, Aditya, a second year MBBS student, had left for Jaipur for the son’s treatment. Aditya is said to be suffering from breathing related problems and was seeking treatment from a hospital in Jaipur.

Since nobody answered Satpal’s calls, he asked his neighbour, Ishwar Singh, to enquire into the matter. Ishwar tried to reach the family, however, his calls went unanswered after which the police was called to the spot. “I knocked on the door several times and even made several phone calls, but nobody answered. So I made a call around 7:15 am to the police. A PCR team arrived and they broke open the locks. We entered the house and saw both of them had committed suicide by hanging,” said Ishwar Singh.

The police arrived at the spot and then informed Satpal about the incident. They also recovered a three-page suicide note that was pasted on one of the walls of the room where they had committed suicide. Investigation has been initiated in the case.

Outside the Rao Tula Ram mortuary, the family members were completely shocked at the suicide and claimed that they were completely taken by surprise. The relatives and neighbours also suspected that the family may have been depressed over the son’s health which may have been the cause for the extreme step.

Meanwhile, based on the post-mortem report, the police have maintained that this was a case of suicide by hanging.