Mother, Toddler Son Found Dead in Ranchi Rental Home, Two Girls Critical; Coal Stove Fumes Suspected

Brief By Newsbrief / 12:39 PM on 18 Jul 2026

A tragic incident has shocked Ranchi after a mother and her young son were found dead inside their rented house in Chatakpur Shanti Nagar Pokhar Tola under the Ratu police station area. The deceased have been identified as 32-year-old Pinki Devi and her two-and-a-half-year-old son, Shravan Kumar. Pinki's four-year-old daughter, Prachi Kumari, and her 15-year-old sister-in-law, Chanda Kumari, were found unconscious and critically injured inside the same room.

According to local residents, suspicion arose when the family did not open the door on Saturday morning. After waiting for several hours, neighbours removed the asbestos sheet from the roof and entered the house, where they found the mother and son lying dead. The two girls were immediately rushed to Seva Sadan Hospital for initial treatment before being referred to RIMS due to their critical condition.

Police reached the spot after receiving information from local residents. Both bodies were sent for post-mortem examination, while investigators began collecting evidence from the house. Preliminary findings suggest that the family may have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning because a coal stove used for cooking had been kept inside the room where all four were sleeping. However, police have said that the exact cause of death will only be confirmed after the post-mortem report and a detailed investigation.

Pinki Devi worked at a clothing store in Ranchi and had been raising her children after the death of her husband, Chandan Sahu. The family, originally from Mahmada village in Bihar's Saran district, had been living in the rented house for nearly two and a half years. Pinki's father-in-law, Pancham Sahu, earns a living by driving an e-rickshaw, while her mother-in-law, Munni Devi, works as a daily wage labourer. The incident has left the entire neighbourhood in mourning.