Dhaka, 23 August (H.S.):

Four members of a Hindu family were found dead under suspicious circumstances inside their home in Rangpur city, Bangladesh, police said on Saturday night. The deceased included a husband, wife, daughter and son. Police have launched a detailed investigation into the incident, while relatives have alleged that the family members were murdered.

According to reports, the bodies of former Rangpur District School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, his wife Priti Lata Chakraborty, 50, their 23-year-old daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, and their 12-year-old son Priyam Chakraborty were recovered from their residence in the Daspara, also known as Machhuapara, area of Rangpur.

Rangpur Metropolitan Kotwali police confirmed that the bodies were discovered at around 11:30 pm on Saturday after relatives and local residents became suspicious as the house had remained locked for the previous two days and repeated phone calls to the family went unanswered.

Local residents informed the fire service at around 10:45 pm on Saturday. Rescue personnel later broke open the door and entered the house. According to police, two bodies were found inside the house, while two others were recovered near the rooftop area.

Following the discovery, senior police officials, including Rangpur Metropolitan Detective Branch Deputy Commissioner Sanatan Chakraborty, reached the spot along with other investigators and forensic personnel. The house was cordoned off as the investigation began.

Relatives of the deceased alleged that all four family members had been murdered and demanded the arrest and punishment of those responsible. They also raised the possibility of robbery being linked to the incident, saying household belongings were found scattered and jewellery boxes inside cupboards appeared to have been disturbed.

Ganapati Chakraborty’s cousin Malati Chakraborty alleged that the four members of the family had been killed. Deputy Commissioner Sanatan Chakraborty said the matter was under investigation and that authorities were examining all possible angles.

According to local residents, Ganapati Chakraborty retired from Rangpur District School on December 31 last year. His daughter Agami had completed her master’s degree in English earlier this year, while his son Priyam was a Class V student.

Family members said they became increasingly concerned after losing contact with the household. Priti Lata’s younger sister, Puja Chakraborty, said she had last spoken to her sister on Thursday afternoon. According to relatives, all four mobile phones belonging to the family had remained switched off since Thursday night.

Puja said that after repeatedly failing to contact the family, relatives arrived at the house in Daspara on Saturday night and found the main gate locked and all the lights switched off. Police later arrived, broke open the lock and entered the house, where the bodies were recovered.

She expressed shock over the deaths and said the family could not understand who might have targeted the four members or what the motive behind the incident could have been. She described Ganapati as a well-regarded person and said he had no known enemies.

Ganapati had built a new house in Daspara, where the family had been living. His niece, Soma Chakraborty, said she had last spoken to him on Thursday afternoon. After retiring from his teaching career, Ganapati had reportedly begun working as a homeopathic practitioner.

Police said the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar