Bangladesh: Four of Hindu family found dead in suspicious circumstances

Dhaka: A retired Hindu schoolteacher, his wife, daughter and 12-year-old son were found dead inside their locked home in Rangpur city, in suspicious circumstances that have prompted a police investigation.

The bodies were recovered at around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday from a house in the Daspara (Machhuapara) area of the city. Nazmul Kader, officer-in-charge of Rangpur Metropolitan Kotwali Police Station, said police recovered the bodies after entering the locked house, according to a report by The Daily Star.

The deceased were identified as retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65; his wife, Pritilata Chakraborty, 50; their daughter, Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23; and their son, Priyam Chakraborty, 12.

According to local residents, Ganapati had retired from Rangpur Zilla School on December 31 last year. His daughter, Agami, completed her Master’s degree in English from Rangpur Carmichael College this year, while his son Priyam was a Class 5 student at Rangpur Zilla School.

Family members said they became concerned after losing contact with the household. Puja Chakraborty, Pritilata’s younger sister, told The Daily Star that she had last spoken to her sister on Thursday afternoon. All four mobile phones used by the family had reportedly been switched off since Thursday night.

“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.

Puja said the family was unable to understand who could have killed the four members or what the motive might have been.

“I cannot understand who killed my sister and her entire family, or why and when it happened. My sister’s husband was a very good man. He had no enemies. They had built a new house in Daspara and were living there.”

Soma Chakraborty, Ganapati’s niece, also said she had last spoken to her uncle on Thursday afternoon. She travelled to the house after receiving news of the deaths on Saturday night.

“After receiving the news on Saturday night, I came here and saw his body. The bodies of my aunt, sister and brother were also lying there. My uncle had no enemies. After retiring from school, he started working as a homoeopathic practitioner,” she said.

Police and investigating agencies have begun examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths. OC Nazmul Kader said police, the Criminal Investigation Department and the Detective Branch had launched an investigation into the incident.

“For now, we have recovered the bodies of four people. We have not yet been able to establish any details about the incident,” he said.

Subir Chowdhury, in-charge of Rangpur Metropolitan CID, provided details about where the bodies were discovered inside the house. He told The Daily Star that the bodies of the mother and daughter were recovered from the staircase, while Ganapati’s body was found on the roof.

The body of his son was found under a bed, he added.

“We are investigating. The investigation will determine who was responsible for the killings,” he said.

The exact circumstances, motive and timing of the deaths have not yet been established. Police and the investigating agencies are continuing to examine the scene and gather information as part of the probe.

IANS