A father and his six-year-old daughter were laid to rest together following a tragic murder-suicide off the shores of Sydney’s inner west. Maulik Dhandhukia, 47, rented a boat near Concord last Saturday with the apparent intention of ending both his life and his daughter’s.

Dhandhukia’s body was discovered floating by another boater just before midday, while specialist police conducted an extensive search lasting nearly six hours to locate the child’s remains. Authorities later recovered a suicide note at the scene. New South Wales Police are treating the incident as a domestic violence-related murder-suicide.

The joint funeral for Dhandhukia and his daughter Devarshi took place on Friday in Rouse Hill. Conducted in the family’s native Indian language, the service included moments of profound grief, with Devarshi’s mother, Pritiben, reportedly expressing anguish by repeatedly asking “why” as she leaned over her daughter’s coffin. The funeral notice described the pair as “two kind and gentle souls” and made no mention of the circumstances of their deaths.

NSW Police Superintendent Christine McDonald, from the Burwood Police Area Command, characterized the case as "an absolute tragedy for the family and for the community on every level." Police have indicated that Dhandhukia had no prior history of domestic violence and was not previously known to law enforcement.

The incident has drawn attention to issues surrounding domestic violence and mental health, with authorities encouraging those in need of support to seek help through available resources such as Lifeline.