A retired Hindu schoolteacher, his wife, daughter and 12-year-old son were found dead inside their locked residence in Rangpur city, Bangladesh, in circumstances that have led police to launch an investigation.
The bodies were discovered around 11:30 pm on Saturday at a house in the Daspara (Machhuapara) area. Police entered the locked property and recovered the bodies, Rangpur Metropolitan Kotwali Police Station officer-in-charge Nazmul Kader said, according to The Daily Star.
The deceased were identified as 65-year-old Ganapati Chakraborty, a retired teacher of Rangpur Zilla School; his 50-year-old wife Pritilata Chakraborty; their 23-year-old daughter, Agami Chakraborty Prarthi; and their 12-year-old son Priyam Chakraborty.
Ganapati had retired from Rangpur Zilla School on December 31 last year. His daughter had recently completed a master’s degree in English from Rangpur Carmichael College, while Priyam was studying in Class 5 at Rangpur Zilla School.
Family members became worried after they were unable to contact the household. Pritilata’s younger sister, Puja Chakraborty, said she last spoke to her sister on Thursday afternoon. The family’s four mobile phones were reportedly switched off from Thursday night.
Puja said relatives reached the house on Saturday night and found the main gate locked and the lights switched off. Police subsequently broke open the lock and entered the premises, where they found the four bodies.
She said the family had no idea who could have carried out the killings or what the motive might have been. She described Ganapati as a good-natured person with no known enemies and said the family had recently built the house and moved there.
Ganapati’s niece, Soma Chakraborty, also said she last spoke to him on Thursday afternoon. She said that after learning about the deaths, she travelled to the residence, where she found the bodies of her uncle, aunt and cousins. According to her, Ganapati had started working as a homoeopathic practitioner after retiring from teaching.
Police, the Criminal Investigation Department and the Detective Branch are investigating the case. OC Nazmul Kader said authorities had recovered four bodies but had not yet determined what had happened.
Subir Chowdhury, who is in charge of the Rangpur Metropolitan CID, was quoted as saying that the bodies were found at different locations inside the house. The bodies of the mother and daughter were found near the staircase, Ganapati’s body was recovered from the roof, while his son’s body was found beneath a bed.
Investigators are examining the scene and gathering evidence to determine the circumstances, timing and motive behind the deaths. No conclusion has yet been reached regarding who was responsible.
