Yaba, robbery ruse behind Rangpur family tragic killings

RANGPUR, AGU 23: A retired schoolteacher and three members of his family were allegedly killed one after another at their Rangpur home after he confronted two youths who had climbed onto the rooftop to take Yaba, police said yesterday.

The two suspects, maternal cousins Mugdha Das, 23, and Siddhartha Das, 19, were detained in the early hours of Sunday, hours after the bodies were recovered from different parts of the house.

Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Mabud said the suspects allegedly strangled Ganapati Chakraborty alias Jewel, 65, with a gamcha after he objected to their drug use on the rooftop. They then allegedly killed his wife, daughter and 12-year-old son to prevent them from raising the alarm or identifying them.

Ganapati, a former teacher of Rangpur Zilla School, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, daughter Parthi Chakraborty Agami, 25, and son Priyam Chakraborty Ayush, a Class-V student at Rangpur Zilla School, were found dead at their home in the Machuapara Mandir area.

The bodies were recovered around 11:30pm on Saturday. One was found on the rooftop, two on the terrace and another inside a room.

Mabud said Mugdha and Siddhartha entered the rooftop through an adjacent building on Thursday night to take Yaba. Hearing noises, Ganapati went upstairs and found them there.

When he objected, the two allegedly strangled him with a gamcha. Hearing his screams, Pritilata rushed towards the rooftop but was allegedly killed on the staircase.

The suspects then allegedly killed Parthi and Priyam.

According to the police commissioner, Priyam knew the suspects and was a friend of Siddhartha’s younger brother Apurba. The suspects allegedly feared that the boy could identify them and killed him as well.

The two allegedly stayed inside the house after the killings, taking showers, eating dates and consuming Yaba. They left during Jummah prayers the following day, when the streets were relatively empty.

Before leaving, they allegedly scattered household belongings to make the killings look like a robbery.

Police said a gold bangle found at the scene provided the breakthrough. It bore signs of a fire test, prompting investigators to look into Siddhartha, who had worked as a goldsmith at PK Pal Jewellers for about eight years.