Two men have been arrested in connection to the murder of a Hindu family of four in Bangladesh’s Rangpur city.
The police suspect the father encountered Yaba drug users on his roof and questioned them.
Family suspect something’s amissThe discovery of the bodies came after family members hadn’t heard from the Chakraborty family since Thursday.
According to Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud, several clues revealed that the suspects had consumed drugs and food while inside the house.
He noted that they took a bath, ate dates and cucumbers from the fridge, and took Yaba again.
Two men have been arrested in connection to the murder of a Hindu family of four in Bangladesh’s Rangpur city. According to the police, the killing took place after the man tried to confront the duo over taking drugs on his rooftop. After the murders, the authorities claim that the accused stayed inside the house for hours, ate dates and cucumbers, and even took a bath before leaving
An effort to stop two men from taking Yaba, a potent illicit methamphetamine-based drug, on the rooftop of hishouse, turned fatal for a family of four in Bangladesh’s Rangpur city.
Over the weekend, the police found a retired Hindu schoolteacher, his wife, daughter, and 12-year-old son dead inside their locked home in Rangpur city.
The police suspect the father encountered Yaba drug users on his roof and questioned them. The drug users allegedly retaliated, strangling him with a gamchha, a cotton scarf commonly used in the country. The drug users then went on to kill other members of his family, claim the police.
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What makes this matter even more shocking is that the investigators revealed that the suspects stayed inside the house for hours after the killings, ate dates and cucumbers, and later took a bath.
Here’s what we know about the murder of the Hindu family in Bangladesh.
Police uncover Hindu family killed inside their home
On Saturday night (August 22), the police uncovered four bodies from a three-storey house in the Kamalkashana area of Rangpur city. The four bodies uncovered were — Ganapati Chakraborty (65), a retired teacher of Rangpur District School, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty (50), daughter Agami Chakraborty (25) and son Priyam Chakraborty (12).
The police note that the bodies were found in different parts of the house — the mother and daughter were found on the staircase, Ganapati’s body was recovered from the roof, while the son’s body was found under a bed inside the house.
A little while later, the police detained two suspects in the matter. The duo, Mughdho and Siddhartha, are cousins of the family.
Ganpati, originally from Mirzapur village in Rangpur’s Mithapukur upazila, retired from Rangpur Zilla School on December 31 last year, where he had taught Hindu religious studies. His daughter had just completed her master’s degree from Carmichael College and the son was a Grade V student at Rangpur Zilla School. The family had been living in their own house in Daspara-Machhuapara for the past four years.
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Ganpati’s neighbours described them as “courteous” but said they didn’t have close ties with anyone in the neighbourhood.
Family suspect something’s amiss
The discovery of the bodies came after family members hadn’t heard from the Chakraborty family since Thursday. Speaking to Prothom Alo, Pooja Chakraborty said that she spoke to her elder sister Pritilata Chakraborty around 11:30 pm on Thursday.
Then, when she called on Saturday, she found that her sister's and her sister’s daughter’s numbers were all switched off. Unable to reach them over the phone, she went over to their house with her husband around 8:45 pm.
Not getting any response, she went up to a nearby building, broke the window glass, and found the house’s belongings in disarray. She then informed the police. The police arrived at the scene around 11:30 pm. The police recovered four bodies from the house around 3:30 am.
Confrontation over drug use goes wrong
According to the police, the two suspects, Mughdho and Siddhartha, climbed onto Ganpati’s roof last Thursday from a nearby building. They aimed to consume Yaba, an illicit, highly addictive drug sold in the form of tablets, which contain methamphetamine and caffeine.
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Ganapati reportedly heard noises and went upstairs to question the men about their presence. However, his attempt to stop them turned fatal as the duo, according to Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud, allegedly strangled him with a gamchha.
Hearing the commotion on the roof, Ganpati’s wife, Pritilata, went upstairs to investigate and was allegedly strangled with a piece of cloth on the staircase. They then killed Ganpati’s daughter and son, said the police.
The police noted that as Mughdho and Siddhartha were also acquainted with Ganpati’s family, the two killed all of them, fearing that their identities would be revealed.
Suspects stayed back after murders, ate and had a bath
The police have revealed that the two suspects didn’t flee the home after the murders. Instead, they stayed inside the house for another six to seven hours. According to Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud, several clues revealed that the suspects had consumed drugs and food while inside the house.
He noted that they took a bath, ate dates and cucumbers from the fridge, and took Yaba again. “We found evidence of eating Yaba. We found date seeds. We also found evidence of eating cucumbers taken out of the fridge. After the murder, they took a bath,” Mabud said, according to BBC Bangla.
On Friday, during prayers, when the streets were empty, they left the house. However, before leaving, they opened the cupboards and drawers and scattered various items, including clothes, to make it appear like a robbery.
The police revealed that on catching the duo, they confessed to the crime.
Family question police’s version of events
Ganpati’s family has expressed doubts over the police claims. Biswajit Roy, a member of the family, was quoted as telling Prothom Alo, “What the police are saying is not acceptable at all. Two young boys cannot kill four people. And given the physical condition of those two boys, they cannot kill four people. We have many questions about the matter.”
Even the suspects’ families are in shock over the murders. Kanu Das, father of arrested Siddharth Das, told the Bangladeshi news outlet, “My son is a bit addicted. That's why he would kill someone; it is not credible.”
The incident has raised questions about law and order in the city and the use of drugs.
With inputs from agencies
