Coochbehar, 23 December (H.S.):

Two dead bodies were recovered from a house at Dawaguri Vaishya Para area under Kotwali police station in Cooch Behar on Monday.

According to police and local sources, the old man named Vijaykumar Vaishya (70) lived in the house with his only son Pranabkumar Roy. The old man had been ill for some time. He did not go out of his house. He used to buy fish regularly from a fish vendor. The vendor used to deliver fish to their house every day.

In the morning, when the vendor went to deliver fish, he found the door of the house closed. A letter was lying outside. The paper said that Pranab had gone to Chennai with his father for treatment.

Seeing this, the fish seller informed the neighbors. The locals gathered in front of the house. At that time, they noticed that there were red stains on some places on the balcony. And without waiting, they informed the police. The police of the Kotwali police station reached the spot, broke the door of the house and entered inside. The room inside was also locked. When they broke the door of the room and entered inside, red stains were seen again in several places. The police had no difficulty in understanding that the red stains were actually blood. The police looked at a showcase-cum-cupboard inside the house. When they opened it, they found

an old man's body wrapped in a blanket stuffed inside. There were multiple injury marks on his body. The initial police estimate is that the old man was killed by being hit multiple times with a heavy object. Locals said at the time that Pranab's cousin Gopal Roy (44) had been missing for a month. He lived in a house a short distance away. Hearing that, a search was started at the old man's house. District Superintendent of Police Duteeman Roy himself went to investigate. The investigators stopped in front of the septic tank at the back of the house. As soon as the lid of the tank was opened, a foul smell spread. Another body was recovered from there, wrapped in plastic. The body was mutilated. The police initially assumed it was Gopal Roy's body based on the clothes. Suspicion is being raised towards the old man's son Pranab in the entire incident. He has been missing since morning. The police have started searching for him. Neighbors alleged that Pranab, used to be intoxicated. He used to beat up his old father. Superintendent of Police Duteeman Roy said that all aspects are being investigated. A search is underway to find the absconder.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey