Police arrested two youths early Sunday in connection with the recovery of the bodies of a retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher, his wife and their two children from their home in Machuapara, Kamal Kachna area of Rangpur city.
The accused were identified as Siddhartha Das, 23, and Mugdha Das, 19. They were detained from Dakhiganj cremation ground in the city. Both are residents of Machuapara.
The incident occurred on Thursday night in the area, but police recovered the bodies of the four family members on Saturday night.
The deceased were identified as Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, 50, their daughter Prarthi Chakraborty, 24, a master’s student, and their 12-year-old son Priyam Chakraborty, a Class V student at Rangpur Zilla School.
Meanwhile, hundreds of students of Rangpur Zilla School boycotted classes and staged demonstrations on Sunday, demanding the arrest and death penalty of those responsible for the killings.
They marched to the offices of the Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the district administration and submitted separate memorandum demanding the immediate arrest of the suspects and justice.
Later, they held a human chain and demonstration on a main road in front of the school.
At a press conference on Sunday, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud said the two suspects had allegedly been consuming yaba on the roof of Ganapati’s house late Thursday night when the retired teacher heard the noise and went upstairs.
After seeing them, Ganapati reportedly told them to stop taking drugs. The suspects then allegedly strangled him with a gamcha, or towel.
Hearing his cries, his wife Pritilata and daughter Prarthi came to the rooftop and were also allegedly strangled. The suspects then entered the house and killed Priyam, the couple’s only son, in the same way, the commissioner said.
The suspects allegedly remained inside the house throughout Thursday night. They reportedly showered in the bathroom, ate dates from the dining table and consumed yaba.
They also allegedly soaked the mobile phones of Ganapati and Pritilata in water mixed with washing powder to remove their fingerprints, according to police.
The suspects reportedly stayed inside the house until Friday morning and left when the area became quieter during Friday prayers. They allegedly ransacked the house to make the killings appear to be part of a robbery.
Police said the suspects later hid the stolen gold ornaments in an abandoned area behind a temple near the house. The ornaments were recovered based on information provided by the suspects.
Commissioner Mabud, who became emotional while describing the killings, said the suspects had confessed to killing all four victims after their arrest.
A murder case has been filed in connection with the incident, he added.
Family members and locals said Ganapati had lived in the house with his family after retiring from Rangpur Zilla School. He later practised as a homeopathic doctor.
His sister, Puja Chakraborty, said the family had been unreachable since Thursday night. Despite repeated phone calls, she could not contact Pritilata or any other family member, while all four phones at the house were switched off.
Concerned relatives went to the house on Saturday night and found the main gate locked. After being informed, police and Fire Service personnel arrived at around 10:45pm and broke open the door.
They found one body inside a room and three others near the rooftop area.
The bodies were recovered early Sunday and sent to the Rangpur Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsies.
A Criminal Investigation Department (CID) crime scene team collected evidence and cordoned off the house.
CID Rangpur Superintendent of Police Sumit Chowdhury said investigators initially suspected the incident was linked to a robbery. As the killings had occurred about two days earlier, the bodies had already begun to decompose, he said.