More than a week after four members of a family were found strangled inside their Rangpur home, the investigation is facing a growing credibility crisis, with relatives, locals and crime experts questioning the police narrative as investigators themselves examine multiple possible motives beyond their initial drug-related explanation.
Police initially linked the killings of retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata Chakraborty, daughter Agami Chakraborty and son Ayush Chakraborty to a confrontation over drug use.
But investigators are now looking into at least three possible angles -- drugs, a property dispute and extremism -- while also examining whether there was any negligence on the part of police.
Questions have meanwhile emerged over the timeline of the killings, possible sexual violence, alleged destruction of evidence, missing money, the handling of suspects and whether two young men could have killed four people one after another without attracting attention in the densely populated neighbourhood.
The uncertainty has left the victims’ relatives openly rejecting key elements of the police account.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mahbubur Rashid told Dhaka Tribune on Saturday that the investigation was continuing and police were examining whether there was a motive other than drugs.
Asked about the loss of public confidence in the investigation, he said: “We are trying to restore trust.”
He also dismissed as “baseless” allegations circulating about former Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud’s involvement in the incident.
Crime experts say premature conclusions by investigators may have contributed to the confusion.
Dr Touhidul Haque, associate professor at Dhaka University’s Institute of Social Welfare and Research and a crime expert, said the motive and mystery surrounding the killings had yet to be established.
“I think the reason and mystery of the murder in the Rangpur incident is still unknown. There has been confusion as the police statement does not match the incident,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
He said investigators should be given time to follow the evidence rather than rushing to establish a narrative.
If local investigators cannot unravel the case, he said, a more experienced team from Dhaka could be brought in.
The priority should be establishing the motive and reconstructing what actually happened before determining responsibility.
Property dispute enters investigation
A possible dispute involving the land on which Ganapati’s house was built has now emerged as another line of inquiry.
Former police commissioner Abdul Mabud earlier said there were allegations that Ganapati had bought the land from relatives of arrested suspect Siddharth Das and that some stakeholders had not received money they were owed.
Ganapati’s elder brother Gopinath Chakraborty, who filed the murder case, rejected that account.
He told Dhaka Tribune the land had been bought long ago and there had never been any dispute or quarrel over it.
“The police are saying that they killed them after being caught consuming drugs. It is not credible,” Gopinath said, adding that the family believed there could be others behind the killings.
“We want a proper investigation. We want justice for the murder of my brother’s family.”
Agami had asked about filing GD
Another development adding to the mystery concerns 25-year-old Agami.
According to information obtained from people connected with the family and social organisations, Agami had asked a friend about filing a general diary months before she was killed.
On May 23, she reportedly contacted her friend Shabila Naz Shaumi about the procedure for filing a GD amid concerns over receiving threats.
Shaumi said Agami had asked her about a GD and whether filing one could create problems in securing a government job.
The information raises another question for investigators, whether the concerns Agami expressed months earlier had any connection to the eventual killings.
Claims of evidence destruction
Questions have also emerged over the handling of the crime scene.
Partha Das, elder brother of arrested Siddharth, alleged that the roof of Ganapati’s house was washed with water after the killings.
Police denied deliberately washing the roof, saying water overflowed from a tank after a motor was accidentally switched on.
Siddharth’s father, Vinay Chandradas, also questioned the allegations against his son.
“If he is involved, then he should be punished. But the police should not force him to be a murderer,” he said.
Tk15 lakh withdrawn before murders
Investigators are also confronted with questions surrounding a substantial amount of money Ganapati withdrew shortly before his death.
Rangpur District School Headmaster AKM Azad said Ganapati, who was on leave preparatory to retirement, had withdrawn Tk14.92 lakh from his provident fund.
Azad said Ganapati had never told him where the money was kept or how he intended to use it.
He described the retired teacher as a humble man who had never mentioned being involved in any dispute or receiving threats.
It remains unclear whether the money had any connection to the killings.
Four give statements
Police say arrested suspects Mugda Das and Siddharth Das are involved in the killings.
Simanto Das and Dakhiganj crematorium guard Bidyut Das have also given statements before a court under Section 164.
Relatives and members of the accused’s family, however, say Simanto and Bidyut have not been seen in the locality since giving their statements.
Local journalists also said they had been unable to locate the two despite attempts to speak to them.
Meanwhile, some local groups have sought to portray the killings as communal or extremist violence.
Police have not established such a motive, although DB sources said extremism is among the possibilities being examined.
Ganapati, 65, Pritilata, 50, Agami, 25, and Ayush, 12, were killed at their home in Rangpur city’s Machhuapara area on the night of August 20.
Their bodies were recovered on August 22 after relatives raised the alarm.
Police said all four had been strangled.
