Rangpur murder: Accused were away on crime night, families say

Accused Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das were not at their respective homes on the night of the murder of retired schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty Jewel, his wife, and their two children in Machhuapara (Daspara) of Rangpur city.

Siddhartha Das roamed around the area for some time while the bodies were being recovered and later fell asleep at a neighbor's house.

Meanwhile, Mugdha Das remained at his house at that time. He attempted to flee upon sensing the presence of police, but officers chased and detained him.

Parents of Siddhartha and Mugdha Das confirmed that the two were not present at their homes on the night of the murder.

Mugdha Das's mother, Sena Das, said, "On Thursday (August 20) night, Mugdha, his visiting grandmother, and I went to sleep around 10:00 PM after having dinner. Mugdha went to his room. My mother and I fell asleep after chatting for a while. I woke up in the morning and did my household chores. I did not know that Mugdha was not in his room. I do not know when he went out."

She added, "On Friday (August 21) morning, I finished my household work and went to his room, only to find him missing. When he returned home late, I asked him why he did not go to the market. Mugdha then claimed he had gone to play football. I did not talk further and got busy with my work."

However, fearing her son was becoming addicted to drugs, Sena Das warned him a month ago to stay away from such activities.

Regarding the day of the police operation, Sena Das said, "Mugdha was at home that day. When police came and knocked on the gate, I moved forward to open it. Sensing the presence of police, he fled through another direction."

Meanwhile, describing the events of that night, Siddhartha Das's father, Binoy Das, said, "Siddhartha occasionally slept at the houses of neighboring friends and relatives. As he was not home on Thursday night, I assumed he was sleeping there. After the bodies were recovered on Saturday night, police arrived looking for Siddhartha. I then went to a neighboring uncle's house and called Siddhartha out. Police subsequently detained him."

Deputy Commissioner of Metropolitan Police (DB) Sanatan Chakraborty stated that Siddhartha had scratch marks on his body. He also took treatment at a clinic following the incident.

Based on information provided by local residents, police initially detained Siddhartha. Later, when police went to Mugdha's house nearby, Mugdha attempted to flee after sensing the officers' presence. Police chased him for over an hour before detaining him in the Tut-Farm area.

Both suspects confessed to the murders during initial interrogation following their arrest.

-SA