Power outage row in Rangpur family murders

RANGPUR, Aug 24: Questions are mounting over the killing of a retired schoolteacher and three members of his family, with an unexplained power outage at their home emerging as a key mystery.

Police have arrested Mugdha Das and Siddhartha Das over the deaths of retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23, and son Ayush Chakraborty Priyam, 12.

The bodies were recovered on August 21 from the family’s home in Daspara, Machuapara. Police say the victims were strangled.

Residents said the electricity at the house was out for much of the night while neighbouring homes had power. A neighbour said Siddhartha sustained a burn while apparently disconnecting the electricity.

Agami reportedly messaged a friend saying their home had remained without power throughout the night, adding to speculation that the outage may have been deliberate. 

Investigators have not established whether it was connected to the killings.

Questions have also emerged over the suspects’ movements. Shimanto’s father said Siddhartha’s father had kept his shop open until about 2:30 a.m. Siddhartha’s father, Binoy Das, said Siddhartha and Mugdha left around midnight, saying they were going to sleep at Shimanto’s house.

Police are also looking for Prashanta, who allegedly supplied yaba to the suspects and has reportedly been missing since the killings.

Investigators are examining CCTV footage, mobile-phone locations, call records and forensic evidence to determine the sequence of events and whether anyone else was involved.

Bablu Kumar Biswas, an assistant professor of forensic medicine at Rangpur Medical College Hospital, said preliminary autopsy findings suggested strangulation. He said the dark appearance of the victims’ faces was consistent with decomposition and that no chemical burns were found.

The possibility that two people killed four victims has drawn particular attention. Rangpur CID official Sumit Chowdhury said investigators were examining all available evidence and would determine whether others were involved after receiving forensic and digital reports.

The killings have triggered protests by current and former students of Rangpur Zilla School, where Ganapati taught before retiring last year. 

Students demanded an impartial investigation and called for all those responsible to be brought to justice.