Rangpur family killed after suspects were caught taking drugs, police says; 2 held

Two individuals have been detained in connection with the killing of retired schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty Jewel and three members of his family in Rangpur, with police saying the victims were allegedly killed after witnessing the suspects taking drugs on the rooftop of their under-construction house.

The detainees are Siddhartha, 20, and Mugdha, 23. They were detained early Sunday (August 23).

At a press briefing on Sunday afternoon, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Mabud said the two suspects killed the four family members one after another after they allegedly obstructed their drug use.

According to the police commissioner, law enforcement agencies launched an operation in the area soon after receiving information about the killings. Siddhartha and Mugdha were detained during the operation.

Commissioner Abdul Mabud said during preliminary interrogation, the two detainees told police that they had been taking drugs and hanging out, as they often did, on the rooftop of Ganapati Chakraborty's under-construction house late at night on Thursday (August 20).

The suspects allegedly killed Ganapati Chakraborty by strangling him. His wife, Pritilata, came out after hearing the noise and was also killed.

Their daughter, Agomoni Chakraborty Prarthi, then came out and was killed as well, the police commissioner said.

The suspects also killed their son, Ayush Chakraborty Priyam, after he recognised them. They then entered the house, looted gold ornaments and other valuables, and fled the scene.

The police commissioner said authorities were investigating whether anyone else was involved in the killings or whether the suspects had any other motive.

Earlier on Saturday night, police recovered the bodies of Ganapati, his wife Pritilata, their master's student daughter Agomoni and their fifth-grade student son Ayush from a locked house in the Machuapara area of Rangpur city.

The family’s ancestral home is in Mirzapur union of Mithapukur upazila.

According to police, relatives became suspicious after failing to reach any member of the family over the phone. They went to the house on Saturday night and found the main entrance locked from inside.

With the help of local residents, they entered the premises by climbing over a wall from a neighbouring house and opened a window. They found the rooms in disarray and noticed a strong foul smell before discovering the bodies.

Locals then informed police, and a team from Kotwali Police Station went to the scene.

Members of the CID Crime Scene unit and other police units also joined the investigation.

Shefali Rani, sister-in-law of Ganapati, said they learned around 10:00pm on Saturday that no one in the house was answering phone calls. She later came to the house by microbus with her daughter and son-in-law.

Pritilata’s sister Puja Rani said she first called her sister around 9:45pm but found her phone switched off.

Officer-in-Charge of Rangpur Kotwali Police Station Nazmul Kader said police and CID officials were working to identify the killers.

CID SP Sumit earlier said that judging the condition of the bodies, police suspect the killings took place three to four days ago.