A young girl who was thrown overboard by her father before he jumped into the river in a suspected planned murder-suicide will be buried together at a joint funeral.
Maulik Dhandhukia, 47, threw his daughter, believed to be aged 6 or 7, from a rented boat into the Parramatta River in Sydney’s inner west before entering the water on Saturday.
His body was found floating by a passerby boater shortly before midday, while specialist police spent almost six hours searching for the young girl’s body.
Funeral Details
A joint funeral for the pair will be held on Friday at Castlebrook Crematorium in Rouse Hill, according to a funeral notice shared on social media.
The funeral notice described the pair as “two kind and gentle souls who will forever remain in our hearts.” Credit: Facebook
“Two kind and gentle souls who will forever remain in our hearts,” the notice reads. “May their souls rest in peace and live on in the loving memories of their loved ones.”
Investigation Findings
Detectives found a suicide note on board the vessel, confirming their suspicions that the tragedy was premeditated.
Investigators also found Dhandhukia had rented a runabout several times in the week leading up to the tragedy from Cabarita Point Marina.
Dhandhukia and his daughter arrived at the marina in an Uber about 10am on Saturday.
His body was found near Hen and Chicken Bay at Abbotsford about 11.45am, while his daughter’s body was recovered from the river at Concord about 5.30pm.
Community Support
A family friend said the tragedy had left Dhandhukia’s wife and the girl’s mother, Pritiben Dhandhukia, “utterly alone.”
“I am writing to ask for your help for a woman who has just lost everything that mattered most to her,” Jignesh Parmar wrote on a GoFundMe page.
“Her beloved husband and her cherished daughter — her entire family, her whole reason for getting up each morning — were taken from her.
“The home that was once full of love and laughter is now silent. And Pritiben, who gave her heart to her family every single day, has been left utterly alone.”
Parmar said the fundraiser would help cover funeral expenses and provide ongoing financial support.
“None of us can bring back what she has lost,” Parmar wrote. “But we can make sure she doesn’t have to grieve while also lying awake at night worrying about money.”
Father’s Social Media Posts
Just over a week before the incident, Dhandhukia shared a lengthy Facebook post about chronic neck pain, which he said had caused “70 to 90 per cent” of the problems in his life.
He wrote that the pain began after he failed to warm up properly before a gym session in Mumbai in 2004 or 2005 and had persisted for more than two decades.
Dhandhukia claimed the condition had forced him to turn down a US visa and Canadian permanent residency.
“Now, I have turned 47 and so ageing will start showing its effect,” he wrote.
“This is an absolute tragedy for the family and the community on every level,” Burwood Police Area Command Superintendent Christine McDonald said.
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