A Hindu family of four was found murdered inside their locked home in Bangladesh’s Rangpur city. Investigators said the suspects allegedly stayed at the house after the killings, bathed there, ate dates and cucumbers from the refrigerator and used yaba before fleeing, as per local media reports.
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The victims were identified as retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23, and their 12-year-old son Priyam Chakraborty. Their bodies were recovered from their home in the Daspara (Machhuapara) area at around 11.30pm on Saturday.
According to Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo, Rangpur police commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud said two suspects, identified as Mugdha and Siddhartha, remained inside the house after the killings. Police said they left on Friday when the streets were relatively empty during Jummah prayers.
Before leaving, the suspects allegedly opened cupboards and drawers and scattered clothes and other belongings around the house, apparently in an attempt to make the incident appear to be a robbery. Investigators also found items allegedly used for taking yaba on a table inside the house.
Police said evidence was found suggesting that an attempt had been made to test a gold bangle using fire. Two mobile phones belonging to the victims had also allegedly been submerged in water mixed with detergent, possibly in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The suspects were identified and detained based on these clues, Prothom Alo reported. Police said they confessed to the killings during questioning. Gold jewellery allegedly looted from the home was later recovered from an abandoned location indicated by the two detainees.
Date pits found inside the house have been seized and sent for DNA testing, according to Prothom Alo.
The bodies were found in different parts of the house. Subir Chowdhury, in-charge of Rangpur Metropolitan CID, said the mother and daughter were found on the staircase, Ganapati’s body was recovered from the roof and Priyam’s body was found under a bed.
“The household belongings were found scattered and in disarray. For now, it appears to be a robbery. However, nothing can be confirmed until the investigation is completed,” he said.
Sanatan Chakrabarty, deputy commissioner of Rangpur Metropolitan Police and head of the Detective Branch, said the victims were initially suspected to have been strangled. He said the killings may have taken place between midnight on Thursday and early Friday.
The family had not been heard from since Thursday. Pritilata’s sister Puja Chakraborty told The Daily Star that all four phones had been switched off.
“We came to Daspara on Saturday night after finding their phones switched off. The main gate of the house was locked and all the lights inside were off. Police later arrived, broke the lock and entered the house, where they recovered the bodies,” she said.
Police, CID and Detective Branch teams are jointly investigating the killings. AKM Nazmul Kader, officer-in-charge of Rangpur Kotwali police station, said preparations were under way to file a murder case
