4 August 2025,
Monday
4 August 2025,
Monday
Lucknow Triple Suicide: A heartbreaking incident of mass suicide by three members of the same family has come to light in the Ashrafabad area of Chowk police station area in Lucknow. The deceased have been identified as Shobhit Rastogi, his wife Suchita Rastogi, and their daughter. Preliminary investigations suggest that the three allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison. Since the incident, the area has been shrouded in silence, with widespread grief and shock among the people. Locals described the family as peaceful and ordinary, making this sudden tragedy all the more devastating.
Late Sunday evening, police received information that the bodies of three family members were found in suspicious circumstances in a house in the Ashrafabad area. Police arriving at the scene found the three bodies in separate rooms. No signs of struggle or violence were found. A forensic team and dog squad were also called to the scene. The discovery of an empty poison bottle in the room further strengthened the suspicion of suicide. However, police say that the cause can only be confirmed after the post-mortem report and viscera examination.
The deceased, Shobhit Rastogi (42), ran a small shop. His wife, Suchita (38), was a homemaker, and their daughter, Preeti (16), was a class 11 student. All three lived together in the same house. The family was middle-class but had been struggling with financial problems and family tensions for the past few months. According to neighbours, Shobhit often spoke of his financial difficulties. He had taken a loan a few months ago due to losses in his shop and was unable to repay the installments on time. In addition, there were reports of discord between the husband and wife.
Neighbour Suresh Verma said, “We never thought such a peaceful family would take such a step. There was no activity in the house from the afternoon. When the door didn't open in the evening, we became suspicious and informed the police.” Another neighbour said that there had been an unusual silence in the house for the past few weeks. Their daughter was also rarely seen going to school. Some people also said that they had heard arguments between Shobhit and his wife.
The Chowk police station in-charge informed that the matter is being investigated seriously. He said, “Upon receiving information about the incident, we immediately reached the spot, took possession of the bodies, and sent them for post-mortem. Preliminary investigations suggest suicide, but we cannot ignore murder or other angles.” The police have started questioning the family's relatives, friends, and neighbours. Digital forensic examination of mobile phones, laptops, and documents found in the house is underway.
Experts believe that while mass suicides are rare, they are often caused by severe mental depression, social isolation, economic insecurity, and family pressure. Dr. Sumedha Srivastava, a psychologist, says, “Sometimes a person feels that they cannot get their loved ones out of problems, so they decide to take them along. This is a dangerous mental state where a person's thinking becomes abnormal.”
In this tragic incident, the entire family perished. Shobhit's parents had already passed away, and he had no siblings living in Lucknow. Some of his relatives are expected to arrive in Lucknow from other cities. The police will direct further investigations based on their statements.
