United News of Bangladesh

Shimanto Chandra Das, a friend of two accused in Rangpur quadruple murder, has given statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a court. DB inspector Jinnat Ali, investigating officer of the case, said, “Shimato appeared before the court with his father and gave his statement as a witness. The judge recorded it under Section 164.” Jinnat said the account provided by Shimanto was consistent with statements given by the accused particularly regarding their visit to his home to consume Yaba on the night of the incident. According to his statement, the accused had gone to Shimanto's house after the murders and consumed Yaba on the night of the killings. Rangpur Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Rafiqul Islam recorded Shimanto's statement on Tuesday night. The two accused-Mugdha Das, 23, son of Kanu Das, and Siddhartha Das, 19, son of Binoy Chandra Das- were arrested from the same area early Sunday. Shimanto, son of Subhas Chandra Das of Machuapara (Daspara) area in the city, works as a sales representative at a clothing shop in a local market. Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Mabud had earlier at a press briefing on Sunday said that the two accused went to Shimanto's house and consumed Yaba on the night of the killings. Asked whether the accused would undergo dope tests, Jinnat said police has already applied for the tests. The process would begin on Wednesday. Regarding questions surrounding inconsistencies in police statements and information about the killings, the investigating officer said the investigation would seek answers to all outstanding questions. “All the questions surrounding the killings will be addressed through a fair investigation. We will work to ensure justice in the case,” he said. A murder case was filed with Kotwali Police Station on Sunday by Gopinath Chakraborty, elder brother of deceased teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, against unidentified people. The two arrested accused appeared before a court the same day and confessed to the killings in statements recorded under section 164. Later, they were sent to jail. Inspector (Investigation) Milon Chatterjee of Kotwali Police Station was initially assigned to investigate the case. On Monday, the investigation was transferred from Kotwali police to the Detective Branch of Rangpur Metropolitan Police, and Inspector Jinnat Ali was appointed as the new investigating officer. Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, a former accounting teacher at Rangpur Zilla School and three of his family members were found dead at their house on Saturday night. Ganapati used to used to live at his his own two-storey house at Machuapara. The other victims were Ganapati’s wife Pritilata Chakraborty Bala, 50, their daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 25, a postgraduate student, and their 12-year-old son Ayush Chakraborty Priyam, a fifth-grade student. The ground floor of the house is still incomplete while Ganapati and his family had been living on the upper floor for around two to three years. After his retirement, he also practised as a homeopathic physician. Police said all four were strangled to death. After conducting autopsies, the bodies were handed over to the family on Sunday afternoon. Their last rites were later performed at the Dakkhigunj cremation ground in the city around 10:30pm. Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Metropolitan Police, Sanatan Chakraborty said Shimanto's statement provided additional information relevant to the case and that the investigation is continuing to establish the facts surrounding the killings.

Four members of a family, including a former schoolteacher, were found dead at their home in the Machuapara Mandir area of Rangpur city on Saturday night, with police suspecting that they were killed three to four days ago. Police recovered the bodies from different places of the house – one on the rooftop, two in the terrace and one inside a room – around 11:30pm, said acting Superintendent of Police of Rangpur Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police Sumit Chowdhury. Police also said they detained three people for questioning in connection with the incident. However, their identities were not disclosed. The deceased were identified as Ganapati Chakraborty alias Jewel, 65, a former teacher of Rangpur Zilla School, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Parthi Chakraborty, 25, and son Priyam Chakraborty, 12. Police said the rooms of the house were found ransacked, while places where cash and gold ornaments were reportedly kept appeared to have been broken open. Ganapati Chakraborty, after retiring from teaching, had been running a homoeopathic treatment chamber at his residence. His daughter Parthi was a master's student at Carmichael College, while Priyam was a fifth-grade student at Rangpur Zilla School. The family’s ancestral home is in Mirzapur union of Mithapukur upazila. According to police, relatives became suspicious after failing to reach any member of the family over the phone. They went to the house on Saturday night and found the main entrance locked from inside. With the help of local residents, they entered the premises by climbing over a wall from a neighbouring house and opened a window. They found the rooms in disarray and noticed a strong foul smell before discovering the bodies. Locals then informed police, and a team from Kotwali Police Station went to the scene. Members of the CID Crime Scene unit and other police units also joined the investigation. Shefali Rani, sister-in-law of Ganapati, said they learned around 10:00pm on Saturday that no one in the house was answering phone calls. She later came to the house by microbus with her daughter and son-in-law. Pritilata’s sister Puja Rani said she first called her sister around 9:45pm but found her phone switched off. Officer-in-Charge of Rangpur Kotwali Police Station Nazmul Kader said police and CID officials were working to identify the killers. CID SP Sumit said it cannot be said immediately how they were killed. “However, judging the condition of the bodies, we suspect the killings took place three to four days ago," he told reporters.