Siblings found dead in Dilshad Garden flat, both MBAs and reclusive

Time of India

2 days ago

New Delhi: A man and his sister were found dead, suspected to have ended their lives by suicide, in their rented flat in north-east Delhi's Dilshad Garden on Sunday. Neighbours and family described the siblings as reclusive, rarely venturing out.
The deceased were identified as Viresh Kumar and Preeti Tomar, who were residents of Baghpat. Both were MBA graduates. Viresh worked in the IT sector. The police are investigating possible motives, including financial difficulties and depression.
Police received a PCR call around 8.21am, and a team rushed to the spot, which was a flat on the ground floor in D Pocket, Dilshad Garden. "The flat was found locked from inside, and on opening, the bodies of the two were found.
They were tenants in the flat since 2021," deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Prashant Priya Gautam said. They lived in a one room set, paying around Rs 1,4000 as rent.
The crime and forensic teams went to the spot. The crime scene was videographed. The DCP said they had not found any foul play yet. The owner of the flat said the duo kept to themselves. "They never interacted with anyone in the society, so most people didn't know much about them," the landlord said.
He added that they were always paid the rent on time, except for the previous month. "The last time I spoke to him was regarding the rent. He said his sister wasn't well, so I told him not to worry and to pay whenever he could," the landlord said.
On Sunday morning, some neighbours smelled a strong odour. "When we reached and checked, it was unbearable. That's when the police were called," he said.
Police are in contact with the family of the deceased.
Ashok Singh, a neighbour, described them as reclusive and lacking a social circle. "I once went to invite them to my brother's wedding a few years ago, but they didn't even open the door," he said. He occasionally saw the sister cooking, but otherwise, the siblings kept to themselves.
"The place where the incident took place was a LIG flat, and in the locality, more than 10 families live," he said. Their cousin, Vijay Tomar, shared that their father, who served in the army, passed away in 2011, followed by their mother in 2021 — both due to illness.
The siblings moved from their native village in Baghpat to Delhi, initially living in Jhilmil Colony. "We made an effort to reach out, but they never responded," he said.
Tomar mentioned that both were academically gifted and held MBA degrees. "I remember he was working at an IT company in 2020 but lost his job during the pandemic. I'm not sure if he found work afterward," he added. Family members tried to stay in touch, even inviting them to a wedding last year, but they declined. Relatives had also suggested matches for Preeti, but she said she wasn't interested, focusing instead on her studies.
"They cut themselves off from everyone. If they were facing difficulties, they could have spoken to us," he said.