A deep sense of unease and bewilderment has settled over the Machhuapara neighbourhood in Rangpur following the grim discovery of four murdered members of the same family. While police swiftly detained two local youths, mounting contradictions between initial police briefings and formal post-mortem findings—alongside bizarre discrepancies regarding clothing, a severed power supply, and missing handsets—have cast serious doubt over the official narrative.
The victims, identified as 65-year-old retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Agami Chakraborty, 25, and their 12-year-old son Ayush Chakraborty Priyam, were all found dead inside their locked residence.
Following the autopsies on Monday, 24 August, Dr Bablu Kumar Biswas, Assistant Professor of Forensic Medicine, confirmed that all four victims died of asphyxiation caused by manual strangulation. Crucially, the forensic examination found no evidence to corroborate earlier statements made by senior law enforcement figures. At a press conference on Sunday, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Mabud had asserted that Agami’s jaw was shattered by the assailants. Dr Biswas dismissed this, stating categorically that none of the victims sustained broken jawbones. He also clarified that no acid or corrosive chemical agents had been used on the victims’ faces; the visible disfigurement was simply the natural consequence of advanced post-mortem decomposition. Various tissue samples have since been forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) laboratory for chemical profiling.
Adding to public scepticism is a peculiar controversy surrounding the attire worn by one of the prime suspects. Following his detention, suspect Siddhartha Das was photographed in custody wearing an identical printed patterned shirt to the one worn by Detective Branch (DB) Deputy Commissioner Sanatan Chakraborty. The suspect’s father, Binoy Das, challenged the narrative, asserting that his son was wearing only an off-white vest when handed over to the police, questioning how the shirt appeared on him in custody. Refuting any manipulation, the DB officer explained that the garment was a widely available retail item from the fashion chain Aarong and maintained that the suspect was already wearing it when apprehended.
Timeline inconsistencies further complicate the investigation. According to police accounts, the suspects murdered the family late on Thursday night after being caught consuming methamphetamine pills on the roof, remaining inside the residence until Friday afternoon when they fled with stolen gold jewellery during the weekly prayers. Siddhartha’s family, however, claimed he had dinner at home around midnight on Thursday, visited a neighbour’s residence, and returned to eat breakfast on Friday morning. While that neighbouring household denied Siddhartha visited them, the mother of the second suspect, Mugdha Das, separately stated that her son returned home on Friday midday and announced he was leaving to play football.
Crucial physical evidence also remains unaccounted for. A relative, Puja Chakraborty, revealed that all family phones had gone dead before she discovered the residence locked and plunged into complete darkness on Saturday night. Investigators disclosed that the killers submerged two handsets in detergent water to destroy digital evidence, yet authorities have offered no clarity on the whereabouts of the two remaining mobile phones owned by the household.
The darkness shrouding the residence was not accidental. An electrician summoned by neighbours after the bodies were discovered found that the main power feed running from the utility pole had been deliberately disconnected, pointing to premeditation rather than a random electrical fault. The Detective Branch stated they had no prior knowledge of the severed power connection.
With the physical evidence diverging sharply from preliminary official declarations, local residents and investigators alike face growing questions over whether the full story behind the quadruple homicide has truly come to light.
