New Delhi, July 1: The Delhi Police's Crime Branch, which has taken over the probe in the case involving the death of an 11-member family in Burari, has found a mystical or spiritual link.

The investigators have recovered "handwritten" letters from the house of deceased which indicates the family was involved in dark spiritual practices. Police officers said the note found in the letters described the condition of the deceased, particularly the manner in which they were blindfolded and gagged using tapes.

The deceased, identified as Narayani Devi (77), her two sons Bhavnesh (50) and Lalit (45), her daughters-in-law Savita (48) and Teena (42), her daughter Pratibha (57), her grandchildren Priyanka (33), Nitu (25), Monu (23), Dhruv (15) and Shivam (15), were found dead at their homes at 7:30am on Sunday.

The family owned a grocery store next to their house. As the shop was not opened in the morning, the neighbours went to the house to inquire about them. On breaking the door, 10 members of the family were found hanging dead with tapes covering their eyes and mouth. The eldest family member, Narayani Devi, was found lying dead in the adjacent room.

The preliminary investigation has pointed towards a case of suicide, said JCP (Crime) Alok Kumar. The police, however, is investigating the mystical link, which could also include black magic and witchcraft. The call records of the deceased would be tracked in a bid to know whether the family had been in touch with any tantrik.

Robbery angle has been ruled out as no wealth or gold was stolen from the house. The ornaments worn by the deceased were also found intact on the dead bodies. The mobile phones were also recovered.

The autopsy report is awaited. A team of doctors has been formed to conduct the post-mortem.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the neighbours of the deceased to inquire about the deaths. "Everyone said they were a decent family who had no fued whatsoever with anyone. The police is investigating the case. Not much could be said till the inquiry proceeds," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 01, 2018 10:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).