In less than a month, five members of the Kumbhare family in Mahagao village ended up dead.
On September 20, 2023, an elderly couple in a village in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district complained of tingling in the limbs, severe lower back pain and headache, blackened lips, and a heavy tongue. They were rushed to a hospital but passed away days later.
At the time, Shankar and Vijaya Kumbhare’s deaths did not arouse any suspicion until, days later, several other members of their family reported similar symptoms.
In less than a month, five members of the Kumbhare family in Mahagao village ended up dead.
An investigation into these unexplained deaths led the police to a sixth family member, who was the only one in the house not to develop any symptoms, unraveling a tale of an unhappy marriage, a property dispute, and a conversation that ended in murder.
According to the police, in December 2022, Shankar’s son Roshan married Sanghamitra Kumbhare, an agricultural scientist from Akola. Sanghamitra’s parents were against the match so she eloped, married Roshan, and settled down in Gadchiroli along with Shankar, Vijaya, and Roshan’s sister Komal.
However, Sanghamitra’s marriage was not a happy one. “She was allegedly beaten up by her husband and treated badly by her in-laws who would constantly taunt her,” an officer said.
When Sanghamitra’s father learned that she was unhappy, he died by suicide in Akola in April 2023, adding to her woes, the officer added.
In August 2023, Sanghamitra, 22, wanted to visit her home to celebrate Raksha Bandhan but Roshan and his parents objected. It led to a huge fight in the family and Roshan assaulted her, as per the police.
“As Sanghamitra stepped out of her house, Roshan’s aunt Rosa Ramteke saw her weeping. She sat next to her and consoled her. Sanghamitra confided in Ramteke and said in anger that she felt like killing all of them,” an officer said.
According to the police, in December 2022, Shankar’s son Roshan married Sanghamitra Kumbhare, an agricultural scientist from Akola. According to the police, in December 2022, Shankar’s son Roshan married Sanghamitra Kumbhare, an agricultural scientist from Akola.