Rangpur family of four killed after objecting to Yaba consumption: Police

Four members of a family, including a former schoolteacher, were killed at their home in Rangpur city after they allegedly objected to two young men taking Yaba on the rooftop of their house, police said today (23 August).

The victims were identified as Ganapati Chakraborty alias Jewel, 65, a former teacher of Rangpur Zilla School, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Parthi Chakraborty Agami, 25, and their son Priyam Chakraborty Ayush, 12, a Class-V student of Rangpur Zilla School.

Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud disclosed the details of the gruesome murders at a press conference at his office in the morning.

He made the disclosure following the early morning arrest of two suspects in connection with the murders. The arrestees were identified as Mugdha Das, 23, and Siddhartha Das, 19, who are maternal cousins.

According to police, the bodies were recovered from different parts of the house in the Machuapara Mandir area of the city around 11:30pm on Saturday. One body was found on the rooftop, two on the terrace and another inside a room.

Mabud said Mugdha and Siddhartha climbed onto the rooftop of Ganapati's house through an adjacent building on Thursday night to take Yaba.

Hearing noises on the rooftop, Ganapati went upstairs and found the two youths taking the drug. When he objected, the two allegedly strangled him with a gamcha, he said.

Hearing Ganapati's screams, his wife Pritilata tried to go upstairs but was allegedly killed on the staircase, said the police commissioner.

The suspects then allegedly killed their daughter Parthi and finally 12-year-old Priyam.

A family photo of the Rangpur family whose four members were killed in their home, according to police. Photo: Collected

According to Mabud, Priyam knew the suspects and was a friend of Siddhartha's younger brother Apurba. Fearing that the child could reveal their identities, the suspects allegedly killed him as well.

He said the two suspects remained inside the house after the killings. They allegedly took showers, ate dates and consumed Yaba before leaving during Jummah prayers the following day, when the streets were relatively empty.

Before leaving, they allegedly scattered household items to make it appear that a robbery took place and to mislead investigators, the commissioner said.

He said they got a breakthrough after finding a gold bangle at the scene bearing signs that it was subjected to a fire test. They subsequently learned about Siddhartha's experience as a goldsmith.

Police detained Siddhartha and Mugdha in the early hours of Sunday when they confessed to their involvement in the incident, Mabud said.

Siddhartha has reportedly been working as a goldsmith at PK Pal Jewellers for about eight years, while Mugdha works at a fish shop at the city's City Bazar.

The commissioner said the jewellery allegedly looted from the house was recovered from an abandoned place based on information provided by the two suspects.

The two mobile phones belonging to the family were also found immersed in water mixed with detergent. Police said the suspects did so to destroy evidence.

Investigators also recovered evidence of Yaba consumption, date seeds and a partly eaten cucumber from the scene. The date seeds have been sent for DNA testing, the police commissioner said.

He said Mugdha and Siddhartha consumed Yaba at a house in the city before going to Machuapara, where they allegedly took the drug again.

Investigators have also found the name of a person identified as Khushi alias Prashanta as a suspected Yaba supplier and are verifying the information, the police commissioner said.

A murder case was filed at Kotwali Police Station in connection with the killings.

Police said they were working to complete the investigation and submit the charge sheet to the court as soon as possible.