New Delhi: Scanning the pages of nine registers and loose sheets recovered from the house where 11 persons died in mysterious circumstances in north Delhi's Burari, police have found that contents relating to 'Badh Tapasya' figured in the register since this year.
Police, meanwhile, also refuted the theory of the presence of a 12th person in the house during the alleged ritual.
According to police, the family had started writing in the registers in 2007, but the content was mostly philosophical; such as how to live in the family and that one should take care of the mother.
"The contents were about how to live in a family. But we witnessed a change in the writing since March this year," said a police official.
He further said that cops are probing whether the 'Badh Tapasaya' around this time.
"The notes state that if one follows a set of rituals, their problems would be solved and God would be happy. It seems that the ritual went awry. The notes also mention how after climbing the stool after covering one's face and taping the mouth, wrapping a chunni around one's neck, one has to climb down and also help others," an officer, privy to the probe, said.
The notes also mentioned doing a 'haap' before starting the ritual and 'shunya' and other thoughts should not able to cloud their judgement.
Explaining what a 'Badh Tapasya' comprises of, police said it involves people making a banyan tree-like formation, whose branches hang from the top. The notes state that doing this would make God happy.
"The earliest entries are more about philosophical musings and religious beliefs. Every entry in the register would begin with 'shree'. There have been months on end, when no entries have been made," the police said.
Police suspect that six persons had written in the nine registers between 2007 and 2018. Call details records of the past six months have been scanned, with the main focus being on the phone calls in the last three days of the incident.
Police have also questioned the contractors who had built the house, who said that there was no instruction from the family to build 11 pipes. A mobile phone dealer, who was also interrogated, said the deceased Lalit Bhatia did not purchase any specific SIM.
Police further said they have questioned more than 100 persons, all of whom were unaware of such practices in the family.
"In three days, we have not found any godman angle in the case," said the police officer.
Talking about the house, the investigator claimed that a total of nine registers and loose pages were found scattered in different rooms of the house.
"The house, from the inside, look normal. Things were placed in the right place. There was no black magic spot. It was just like a normal house," said the police officer. Investigator added that the persons questioned told them that the deceased were good people.