London: An inquest into the tragic deaths of an Indian-origin family of three who plunged to their deaths from a high-rise apartment block in south London opened this week.
Aditi Vijay Paralkar, 46, Rakesh Narayan Pai, 47, and their nine-year-old son Sid Rene Pai-Paralkar died in a case of suspected suicide, even as a Metropolitan Police investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
The family’s fall from the 36th floor of a residential tower in the Elephant and Castle area of the UK capital occurred May 27.
“I am very content to allow the police to have plenty of time to continue their investigation into these very tragic deaths,” said Michelle Haste, assistant coroner at the London Inner South Coroner’s Court.
According to court reports, the inquest heard that all three were pronounced dead at the scene. While Paralkar and Pai died from multiple injuries, the cause of death for their son is yet to be determined.
Met Police Detective Sergeant Simon Monga was quoted in the ‘Sun’ newspaper as saying that the family “fell from height on to another building”, with their bodies later recovered by the London Fire Brigade.
He told the inquest hearing Wednesday that his officers await the results of pathology and forensic examinations and continue reviewing evidence around the tragedy.
Monga indicated that it would take “at least six months” for a paediatric pathologist to complete a report into Sid’s death, resulting in the coroner adjourning the inquest until the police investigation has concluded.
According to the newspaper, the parents worked in high-earning jobs as consultants while caring for their son, who suffered from a kidney disease.
They had reportedly moved back to India to seek specialist medical help for him around six years ago, but returned to the UK after doctors failed to improve his condition.
“It’s a terrible tragedy, a family of three. Just awful. Some constituents saw it happen,” Neil Coyle, the local MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark in south London, said last month.
“The suggestion was that the child was born in the UK with severe illnesses, which the police inferred contributed to their horrendous decision,” he said.
In a letter to constituents in the wake of the deaths, he was quoted as saying: “The tragic circumstances are not fully known yet, but the police believe it was suicide and are not seeking anyone else at this point (although investigations are ongoing).
“I cannot imagine what situation would lead a family to this terrifying incident, but my thoughts are with their family and loved ones, as well as their friends and all who knew them locally.”
Inquests are fact-finding hearings that take place following sudden or unexplained deaths in England to help set out the circumstances surrounding a tragedy.
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