Dhaka: All four members of the family who were found dead in Rangpur city on Saturday were strangled to death while the disfigurement of their faces was caused by decomposition rather than any chemical substance, said Babul Kumar Biswas, the doctor who conducted their autopsies on Monday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Babul Kumar, an assistant professor at the forensic medicine department of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, stated there were no signs of chemical burns on the bodies. He explained that the dark appearance of the victims’ faces was caused by changes in blood and body tissues during decomposition, not by chemical treatment. Some minor injuries indicated a possible struggle, but nothing else significant was found.
The clarification came after police discovered some liquid near the victims’ faces, which led to initial suspicions of chemical involvement. Rangpur CID police had earlier described the victims’ faces as severely disfigured. Sumit Chowdhury, Rangpur CID Superintendent of Police (in-charge), mentioned on Sunday that investigators suspected possible chemical use because of the condition of the faces and the presence of liquid nearby.
The victims were identified as Ganapati Chakraborty alias Jewel, 65, a former teacher of Rangpur Zilla School, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Parthi Chakraborty Agami, 25, and their son Priyam Chakraborty Ayush, 12, a Class-V student of Rangpur Zilla School. They were killed at their home in Rangpur city after allegedly objecting to two young men taking Yaba on the rooftop of their house, according to police reports on Sunday.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud provided details of the murders on Monday at a press conference. Police arrested neighbors Siddhartha Das, 23, and Mugdha Das, 19, on Saturday night in connection with the killings. They were taken to Rangpur Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court-2 on Sunday, where their statements were recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before being sent to jail.
On Sunday, Gopinath Chakraborty, elder brother of Ganapati Chakraborty, filed a murder case with Rangpur Kotwali Police Station. Inspector Milon Chakraborty, the investigating officer in the case, said the two accused made confessional statements before Rangpur Metropolitan Magistrate Rafiq-ul Islam, but details were withheld to protect the investigation’s integrity.