Residents said the incident has deeply shocked the entire locality as the two girls were known and loved by everyone in the area. His father, Ramesh, works in a small hair salon about 500 meters away from the family’s rented house. According to neighbours, the children’s mother had died about five years ago, when Lakshmi was just one and a half months old. Since then, Ramesh was raising his two daughters alone while struggling with financial constraints.
Local people said that Ramesh usually left home for work at 9 in the morning and returned in the afternoon. During that time, the sisters would often play outside in the area. Residents said that with no one to regularly monitor the house, the girls spent time near shops, gravel heaps and rooftops. On the day of the incident, the sisters allegedly ran into a broken-down vehicle while playing nearby and accidentally got stuck inside.
Neighbor Ashok Ahuja said that due to their poor financial condition, many residents helped the family whenever possible. “It was difficult for Ramesh to manage the house alone. Sometimes neighbors would give food and other essentials to the children,” he said.
Another resident said that the girls were loved by everyone in the locality. “After their father went to work, the children mostly took care of themselves. Everyone in the area looked after them,” the resident said.