Four of Hindu family found dead inside locked Bangladesh home in suspicious circumstances; police launch probe

A retired Hindu schoolteacher, his wife, daughter, and 12-year-old son were found dead inside their locked home in 's Rangpur city under suspicious circumstances, as per local media reports. The bodies were recovered around 11:30 pm on Saturday from a house in the Daspara (Machhuapara) area of the city.

According to The Daily Star, Nazmul Kader, officer-in-charge of the Rangpur Metropolitan Kotwali Police Station, said police entered the locked residence and recovered the bodies.

The deceased were identified as 65-year-old Ganapati Chakraborty, a retired teacher at Rangpur Zilla School; his 50-year-old wife, Pritilata Chakraborty; their 23-year-old daughter, Agami Chakraborty Prarthi; and their 12-year-old son, Priyam Chakraborty.

According to local residents, Ganapati retired from Rangpur Zilla School on December 31 last year. His daughter, Agami, had completed her master’s degree in English earlier this year, while his 12-year-old son, Priyam, was a Class 5 student.

Relatives grew concerned after they couldn't 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 belonging to the family were reportedly switched off from 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 expressed shock, stating the family could not comprehend who would target the four individuals or what could have motivated the crime. "I cannot understand who killed my sister and her entire family, or why and when it happened. My sister's husband was a very good man. He had no enemies. They had built a new house in Daspara and were living there."

Soma Chakraborty, Ganapati's niece, similarly noted that her last contact with her uncle was on Thursday afternoon, after which she rushed to the residence upon hearing news of the fatalities on Saturday night. "After receiving the news on Saturday night, I came here and saw his body. The bodies of my aunt, sister and brother were also lying there. My uncle had no enemies. After retiring from school, he started working as a homoeopathic practitioner," she said.

Law enforcement agencies and forensic teams have launched an investigation into the deaths. OC Nazmul Kader said police, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Detective Branch were jointly probing the incident.

Subir Choudhury, in-charge of the Rangpur Metropolitan CID, provided details about where the bodies were found inside the house. He told The Daily Star that the bodies of the mother and daughter were recovered from the staircase, while Ganapati’s body was found on the roof.

His son's body was discovered under a bed, he added.

The exact timeline, motive and sequence of events leading to the deaths remain unclear. Forensic experts and law enforcement agencies are examining evidence collected from the scene as the investigation continues.