The investigation into the deaths of three minor sisters in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad is growing more complex with each passing day. What initially appeared to be a heartbreaking but straightforward case of suicide is now revealing layers of financial distress, family turmoil, and an intense digital dependency that investigators believe may have pushed the girls into a state of extreme psychological stress.
The three siblings, Nishika (16), Prachi (14), and Pakhi (12), were found dead in their home earlier this week. Police have maintained that the case is being treated as a suicide, but the circumstances leading up to the tragedy are now under scrutiny.
At the centre of the case is their father, Chetan Kumar, a stockbroker who, according to investigators, was struggling under a crushing debt burden of nearly Rs 2 crore. Police say Kumar had been running the household under severe financial strain and had recently taken a drastic step that appears to have deeply affected his daughters: he confiscated their mobile phones. He sold them to pay pending electricity bills.
Kumar reportedly justified his decision by claiming that the girls were excessively consumed by Korean entertainment content and online activities, which he believed was harming their studies and behaviour.
The night of the incident
Investigators have pieced together a partial timeline of what happened on the night the girls died. According to the police, the sisters managed to get hold of their mother’s mobile phone after their own devices had been sold. However, forensic teams later found that the phone did not have access to the Korean apps or platforms the girls were used to.
As a result, the sisters were reportedly unable to play their usual online games or communicate with friends they had made through Korean content platforms. Forensic examination has so far failed to find any usable access to the apps or services they were seeking on the device.
Police believe this may have added to their emotional distress, particularly given what investigators describe as an “intense attachment” to Korean pop culture, entertainment, and online communities.
A nine-page pocket diary recovered from their room has become a key piece of evidence. Preliminary findings suggest it documents a deep emotional investment in Korean content and hints at ongoing family discord. The diary, along with a handwritten suicide note and other messages, has been sent for forensic analysis. Fingerprint and handwriting verification reports are still awaited.
A complicated family structure
As the investigation progressed, police also revealed unusual details about the family. Chetan Kumar has three wives, Sujata, Heena, and Tina, who are biological sisters. Sujata is the mother of Nishika, while Heena is the mother of Prachi and Pakhi.
Investigators say the three girls appeared to be more emotionally attached to their father than to their mothers. This, police believe, may explain why the suicide note was addressed to Kumar and did not mention their mothers by name.
While the contents of the note have not been made public, officials say it is being carefully examined to establish the mental state of the girls and to rule out any external pressure or coercion.
Financial stress and digital dependence
Police sources describe Kumar’s financial condition as precarious. With debts running into crores, he was allegedly selling household items and making hard choices to keep the family afloat. The sale of the girls’ phones, though seemingly minor, appears to have been a critical emotional trigger.
Investigators are also exploring the possibility that the sisters had developed a form of digital or online dependency, particularly centred around Korean entertainment content and online interactions. Cybercrime teams are now using the IMEI numbers of the sold phones to trace the buyers in the hope of retrieving data from the devices, including app usage, chat histories, and gaming activity.
This digital trail, police believe, could provide crucial insight into the girls’ mental state, their online relationships, and whether any external influence played a role in worsening their distress.
No evidence of foul play so far
At present, the police say there is no evidence of murder or external coercion. The case is being treated as a suicide, with the probe focused on verifying the father’s claims about alleged online gaming and content obsession, examining family circumstances, and reconstructing the events leading up to the deaths.
Officials stress that all angles are being investigated, including the home environment, financial pressures, and the psychological state of the victims.
The three sisters were cremated on Wednesday at Delhi’s Nigam Bodh Ghat amid grief and shock among relatives and neighbours.
A shadow from the past
Adding another layer of complexity, police records show that in 2015, a woman who was Chetan Kumar’s live-in partner at the time died under suspicious circumstances after falling from the roof of a building in Rajendra Nagar Colony under the Sahibabad police station area. That case was later closed and treated as a suicide.
While investigators have not linked the two incidents, the earlier case has resurfaced in public discussion, prompting calls for a thorough and transparent probe into the present tragedy.
A larger, uncomfortable question
Beyond the immediate investigation, the Ghaziabad case raises unsettling questions about the intersection of financial stress, family instability, and the growing psychological impact of digital dependence among children and teenagers.
Whether the loss of access to phones and online worlds was the final trigger or merely one factor in a much deeper emotional crisis is something the forensic reports and cyber analysis may eventually clarify. For now, the deaths of three young sisters have left behind a grieving family, a shaken neighbourhood, and a case that continues to reveal how fragile young minds can become under invisible pressures.
The investigation into the deaths of three minor sisters in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad is growing more complex with each passing day. What initially appeared to be a heartbreaking but straightforward case of suicide is now revealing layers of financial distress, family turmoil, and an intense digital dependency that investigators believe may have pushed the girls into a state of extreme psychological stress.
The three siblings, Nishika (16), Prachi (14), and Pakhi (12), were found dead in their home earlier this week. Police have maintained that the case is being treated as a suicide, but the circumstances leading up to the tragedy are now under scrutiny.
At the centre of the case is their father, Chetan Kumar, a stockbroker who, according to investigators, was struggling under a crushing debt burden of nearly Rs 2 crore. Police say Kumar had been running the household under severe financial strain and had recently taken a drastic step that appears to have deeply affected his daughters: he confiscated their mobile phones. He sold them to pay pending electricity bills.
Kumar reportedly justified his decision by claiming that the girls were excessively consumed by Korean entertainment content and online activities, which he believed was harming their studies and behaviour.
The night of the incident
Investigators have pieced together a partial timeline of what happened on the night the girls died. According to the police, the sisters managed to get hold of their mother’s mobile phone after their own devices had been sold. However, forensic teams later found that the phone did not have access to the Korean apps or platforms the girls were used to.
As a result, the sisters were reportedly unable to play their usual online games or communicate with friends they had made through Korean content platforms. Forensic examination has so far failed to find any usable access to the apps or services they were seeking on the device.
Police believe this may have added to their emotional distress, particularly given what investigators describe as an “intense attachment” to Korean pop culture, entertainment, and online communities.
A nine-page pocket diary recovered from their room has become a key piece of evidence. Preliminary findings suggest it documents a deep emotional investment in Korean content and hints at ongoing family discord. The diary, along with a handwritten suicide note and other messages, has been sent for forensic analysis. Fingerprint and handwriting verification reports are still awaited.
A complicated family structure
As the investigation progressed, police also revealed unusual details about the family. Chetan Kumar has three wives, Sujata, Heena, and Tina, who are biological sisters. Sujata is the mother of Nishika, while Heena is the mother of Prachi and Pakhi.
Investigators say the three girls appeared to be more emotionally attached to their father than to their mothers. This, police believe, may explain why the suicide note was addressed to Kumar and did not mention their mothers by name.
While the contents of the note have not been made public, officials say it is being carefully examined to establish the mental state of the girls and to rule out any external pressure or coercion.
Financial stress and digital dependence
Police sources describe Kumar’s financial condition as precarious. With debts running into crores, he was allegedly selling household items and making hard choices to keep the family afloat. The sale of the girls’ phones, though seemingly minor, appears to have been a critical emotional trigger.
Investigators are also exploring the possibility that the sisters had developed a form of digital or online dependency, particularly centred around Korean entertainment content and online interactions. Cybercrime teams are now using the IMEI numbers of the sold phones to trace the buyers in the hope of retrieving data from the devices, including app usage, chat histories, and gaming activity.
This digital trail, police believe, could provide crucial insight into the girls’ mental state, their online relationships, and whether any external influence played a role in worsening their distress.
No evidence of foul play so far
At present, the police say there is no evidence of murder or external coercion. The case is being treated as a suicide, with the probe focused on verifying the father’s claims about alleged online gaming and content obsession, examining family circumstances, and reconstructing the events leading up to the deaths.
Officials stress that all angles are being investigated, including the home environment, financial pressures, and the psychological state of the victims.
The three sisters were cremated on Wednesday at Delhi’s Nigam Bodh Ghat amid grief and shock among relatives and neighbours.
A shadow from the past
Adding another layer of complexity, police records show that in 2015, a woman who was Chetan Kumar’s live-in partner at the time died under suspicious circumstances after falling from the roof of a building in Rajendra Nagar Colony under the Sahibabad police station area. That case was later closed and treated as a suicide.
While investigators have not linked the two incidents, the earlier case has resurfaced in public discussion, prompting calls for a thorough and transparent probe into the present tragedy.
A larger, uncomfortable question
Beyond the immediate investigation, the Ghaziabad case raises unsettling questions about the intersection of financial stress, family instability, and the growing psychological impact of digital dependence among children and teenagers.
Whether the loss of access to phones and online worlds was the final trigger or merely one factor in a much deeper emotional crisis is something the forensic reports and cyber analysis may eventually clarify. For now, the deaths of three young sisters have left behind a grieving family, a shaken neighbourhood, and a case that continues to reveal how fragile young minds can become under invisible pressures.
