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Law enforcement agencies have detained two people, identified as Siddhartha and Mugdha, in connection with the killing of four members of a family in Machuapara of Rangpur city.
A reliable police source confirmed the information to Kalbela. The two youths, residents of Machuapara, were detained by 5am on Sunday (August 23).
Investigators also found evidence suggesting that they had consumed yaba inside the building after the killings.
According to the source, law enforcement agencies launched an operation in the area soon after receiving news of the four deaths. Siddhartha and Mugdha were detained during the operation.
The source said one of the suspects fled after sensing the law enforcement operation and hid in Tutbagan of the nearby Sericulture Development Board area. He was later detained from the Dakhiganj cremation ground adjacent to Tutbagan.
The source further claimed that a group of local youths was involved in the killings and that they entered the house with the intention of robbery before carrying out the brutal attack.
Police, however, have not officially confirmed the detention of any suspects. The Rangpur Metropolitan Police commissioner’s office has scheduled a press conference for noon on Sunday.
Earlier, police recovered the bodies of four members of the same family, including former Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, from their home on Saturday night.
The deceased were identified as Ganapati Chakraborty, 65; his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50; daughter Agami Chakraborty Parthi, 24; and son Ayush Chakraborty Priyam, 12.
Local residents alerted police after a foul smell was detected coming from the house on Saturday night. Kotwali police subsequently entered the two-storey building and recovered the bodies. Ganapati’s body was found on the rooftop, his wife and daughter’s bodies were found on the staircase, and Priyam’s body was recovered from underneath a bed in a bedroom.
The bodies were taken to the morgue of Rangpur Medical College Hospital at around 4am for autopsies.
Ganapati Chakraborty retired from teaching in December last year and had been running a homeopathic medical chamber. His daughter Agami had recently appeared for her master’s examination in the English department at Carmichael College. His son Priyam was a fifth-grade student at Rangpur Zilla School.
Police initially believe the killings took place two to three days before the bodies were discovered. The electricity connection to the house was found disconnected, while places where cash and gold jewellery were kept appeared to have been broken open.
Although robbery is initially being considered a possible motive, investigators are probing the actual cause of the killings.
The CID Crime Scene Unit collected evidence from the scene. The metropolitan police, Detective Branch, RAB and other law enforcement agencies are also investigating the case.
Police said efforts were underway to arrest those involved.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner (DB) Sanatan Chakraborty said several law enforcement agencies were working on the case and that some agencies might have detained suspects.
He said the preliminary assessment suggested that the victims had been strangled. The motive for the killings was not yet clear, although the state of the house suggested that cash and valuables may have been looted.
“We are investigating the case from different angles. We hope to arrest those involved very soon,” he said.