Daijiworld Media Network - Dhaka
Dhaka, Aug 23: A retired Hindu schoolteacher, his wife, daughter and 12-year-old son were found dead inside their locked home in Rangpur city, in circumstances that have prompted a police investigation.
The bodies were recovered around 11.30 p.m. on Saturday from a house in the Daspara (Machhuapara) area. Rangpur Metropolitan Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nazmul Kader said police entered the locked house and recovered the bodies, according to The Daily Star.
The deceased were identified as retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23, and their son Priyam Chakraborty, 12.
According to local residents, Ganapati had retired from Rangpur Zilla School on December 31 last year. His daughter Agami completed her Master's degree in English from Rangpur Carmichael College this year, while Priyam was a Class 5 student at Rangpur Zilla School.
Family lost contact
Relatives became concerned after they were unable to contact the family. Puja Chakraborty, Pritilata's younger sister, told The Daily Star that she had last spoken to her sister on Thursday afternoon.
All four mobile phones used by the family had reportedly been switched off since Thursday night.
"We came to Daspara on Saturday night after finding their phones switched off. The main gate of the house was locked, and all the lights inside were off. Police later arrived, broke the lock and entered the house, where they recovered the bodies," she said.
Puja said the family could not understand who might have killed the four members or what the motive could have been.
She described Ganapati as a good man who had no known enemies. The family had built a new house in Daspara and was living there.
Ganapati's niece, Soma Chakraborty, also said she had last spoken to him on Thursday afternoon. She travelled to the house after learning about the deaths on Saturday night.
Soma said Ganapati had no known enemies and had started working as a homoeopathic practitioner after retiring from teaching.
Bodies found in different parts of house
Police and investigating agencies have begun examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
OC Nazmul Kader said police, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Detective Branch had launched an investigation.
"For now, we have recovered the bodies of four people. We have not yet been able to establish any details about the incident," he said.
Subir Chowdhury, in-charge of Rangpur Metropolitan CID, said the bodies were found in different parts of the house. The bodies of Pritilata and Agami were recovered from the staircase, while Ganapati's body was found on the roof.
The body of Priyam was found under a bed, he added.
"We are investigating. The investigation will determine who was responsible for the killings," Chowdhury said.
The exact circumstances, motive and timing of the deaths have not yet been established. Police and other investigating agencies are continuing to examine the scene and gather information as part of the probe.