Police recovered the bodies of an elderly couple and their domestic help with their throats slit from a flat of a four stoery building in Sylhet city’s Raynagar residential area on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as MA Sattar, 82, of Raynagar Rajbari area, his wife Suraiya Begum, 72, and their domestic help Tahmina, 25, of Jallarpar area.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sarwar Murshed Shamim said a local resident informed him around 9 am that blood was seen flowing from beneath the closed door of the flat owned by Sattar.
Police immediately went to the house and found the three dead with injuries caused by sharp weapons, he said.
Sattar's nephew Munna Mia said he spoke to them around 9am and believed they were killed sometime afterward.
The police commissioner said residents of the building reported hearing screams and shouting in the morning, suggesting that the killings took place around that time.
Crime scene teams from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are working at the scene, he said adding that a special police team has been formed to investigate the killings.
Police found wardrobes and cupboards used by the family open, prompting investigators to examine whether any gold ornaments or other valuables have been taken.
“We are investigating whether the incident was a robbery or whether it stemmed from family enmity or a previous dispute,” the police commissioner said.
SMP Media Officer and Additional Deputy Commissioner Md Manzurul Alam said the bodies were sent to the morgue of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for autopsy after inquest examinations.
Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Qaiyum Chowdhury visited the scene and spoke with senior police officials following the incident.
