Delayed drug-test results raise questions over Rangpur killings

Rangpur, Aug 30: Drug tests on two suspects arrested over the killing of a retired schoolteacher and three members of his family in Rangpur have come back negative, casting doubt on their claim that they were under the influence of drugs during the murders.

Rangpur Metropolitan Police Detective Branch Deputy Commissioner Sonaton Chakroborty said Monday that no traces of yaba, cannabis or other banned substances were found in the urine samples of Siddhartha Das, 19, and Mugdha Das, 23. But a medical expert said the results cannot conclusively establish whether the suspects had taken drugs when the killings occurred, as their samples were collected 10 days after the incident.

Prof Dr Md Rashedul Haque, head of the Biochemistry Department at Rangpur Medical College, said drug tests are more useful when conducted soon after suspected consumption. “A test within seven days could have provided a better indication of recent drug use,” he said.