Rangpur killings: Police say mystery is close to being solved

Police on Wednesday interrogated two accused for the second consecutive day in connection with the killings of former schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife and their two children, saying they are close to uncovering the mystery behind the quadruple murder.

A three-member Detective Branch (DB) team questioned Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das at the gate of Rangpur Central Jail for three hours on each of the two days following a court order.

“We hope we are now close to uncovering the mystery surrounding the murders,” said Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) of Rangpur Metropolitan Police Tofael Ahmed.

The accused were interrogated on Tuesday and Wednesday as the court allowed police to question them for three hours on any two days at the jail gate instead of granting a three-day remand.

Earlier, the investigation officer of the case had sought a three-day remand for the two suspects on Monday. However, Metropolitan Chief Magistrate Rafiqul Islam allowed police to question them for three hours on any two days at the jail gate instead.

On August 22, the bodies of Ganapati, 65, a former teacher of Rangpur Zilla School, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty Bala, 50, daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 25, and son Ayush Chakraborty Priyam, 12, were recovered from their locked home in Machhuapara of Rangpur city.

Police said all four were strangled to death.

Police arrested Mugdha, 23, and Siddhartha, 19, from the same area the following day in connection with the killings.

The two arrested suspects later gave confessional statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a court, while two witnesses, identified as Shimanto and Bidyut Das, also gave statements before the court.