Police in Rangpur have changed their initial assessment of the killing of a retired teacher and three members of his family, saying the murders were allegedly triggered by an attempt to stop two young men from taking yaba at the house.
The bodies of retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, daughter Agami Chakraborty Parthi and son Ayush Chakraborty Priyam were recovered from their home in Machuapara, Rangpur city, on Saturday night. The house was locked from outside and neighbours alerted police after noticing a strong smell of decomposition coming from inside.
Police officers from Kotwali Police Station later entered the property and recovered the four bodies. The condition of the house initially led investigators to suspect that the family had been killed during a robbery.
Initial suspicion centred on robbery
After the bodies were discovered, police said household belongings had been scattered and places where cash and jewellery were believed to have been kept appeared to have been disturbed. The electricity connection had also been cut.
Based on those circumstances, investigators initially suspected that the family had been attacked by robbers. Police estimated that the killings may have occurred two or three days before the bodies were found.
The victims were found in different parts of the two-storey house. Ganapati Chakraborty’s body was recovered from the roof, while the bodies of his wife and daughter were found on the staircase. His son Priyam was found beneath a bed in a bedroom.
Police initially said the four victims appeared to have been strangled. After the recovery, the bodies were sent to the mortuary of Rangpur Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Sanatan Chakraborty, deputy commissioner of the Rangpur Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch, said at the time that ropes had been found around the victims’ necks. Although the disorder inside the house suggested a possible robbery, investigators said they were examining all possible motives.
Relatives raised allegation of extortion
The family, however, offered a different possible explanation after the killings came to light.
Relatives alleged that Ganapati Chakraborty had faced demands for extortion money while constructing the house. They suspected that a dispute over the demand could have been linked to the murders.
Ganapati’s elder brother, Gopinath Chakraborty, said there had been a dispute over money demanded during the construction of the house. He believed the conflict could have led to a planned attack.
He also questioned the circumstances surrounding the disconnected electricity supply, suggesting that the perpetrators may have attempted to make the incident appear to be something other than a targeted killing.
According to Gopinath, the family became concerned after they could no longer contact any of the four victims. All four mobile phones appeared to be switched off, while the main gate of the house remained locked and the property was dark.
Relatives eventually went to the house and discovered the bodies. Until then, however, police had not confirmed the extortion allegation as a possible motive and continued to focus on the robbery theory.
Police now allege yaba use was the trigger
The investigation took a new turn on Sunday.
At a press conference, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud said the killings began after Ganapati Chakraborty allegedly objected to two young men taking yaba at his house. Police said he was killed first, followed by his wife, daughter and son.
Police identified the two detained suspects as Mugdha Das, 23, and Siddhartha Das, 19, both residents of the Machuapara area.
According to the police account, the two men entered Ganapati’s house by passing over the roof of a neighbouring building. They allegedly began taking yaba on the roof, where Ganapati objected. Police said an altercation followed and Ganapati was killed.
The other three members of the family were allegedly killed afterwards.
Police further claimed that after the killings, the suspects showered in the house’s bathroom. They then allegedly sat at the dining table, ate dates and consumed the remaining yaba before leaving the property with some gold jewellery.
Investigators said the jewellery and other pieces of evidence were later recovered from an abandoned location based on information provided by the detained suspects.
Police say robbery scene was deliberately created
The latest police theory also attempts to explain why the house initially appeared to have been targeted by robbers.
According to the police, household items were deliberately scattered to create the impression of a robbery and divert investigators from the actual circumstances of the killings. The electricity supply was also allegedly disconnected as part of the attempt to stage the scene.
Police further claimed that two mobile phones were placed in water mixed with detergent in an apparent effort to damage or destroy evidence.
The two detainees are being questioned, while investigators are checking the information they have provided. Police have also said they are examining whether anyone else was involved and whether another motive may have been behind the killings.
Four victims had different family roles
Ganapati Chakraborty had retired from teaching in December last year. After retirement, he ran a homeopathic consultation chamber from his residence.
His daughter, Agami Chakraborty, had completed her master’s examination in the English department of Carmichael College. His son, Ayush Chakraborty Priyam, was a Class Five student at Rangpur Zilla School.
The case has therefore generated several competing accounts since the bodies were recovered. The initial police assessment pointed towards robbery because of the condition of the house. Relatives subsequently raised the issue of alleged extortion during construction of the property. Police have now put forward a different theory, saying the violence began after Ganapati objected to yaba consumption.
The latest explanation remains part of an ongoing investigation. Police say the statements of the detained suspects, the recovered jewellery and other evidence are being examined to establish what happened inside the house and whether others were involved.
Until the investigation and legal proceedings establish the facts, the different theories surrounding the deaths remain allegations rather than established conclusions.
