‘Too early to comment’

Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mahbubur Rashid, who joined the post on Thursday, yesterday inspected the scene where four members of the same family were murdered in the city’s Daspara (Machhuapara) area, saying it was too early to comment on the case.

“This is a sensational case, and various things are being discussed about it across the country. It would be premature to say anything about the case at this stage. I have come to the scene to understand the case,” he said. “We are investigating all information related to the case with due importance.”

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Asked about reports that evidence at the crime scene had been washed away with water, he said he had also heard the claim but that there was no clear evidence to support it. “There is no reason to wash away evidence. All evidence collected from the crime scene remains preserved in our custody. Even so, I will look into the matter.”

He said police were considering all information and claims that had emerged in connection with the killings of the four family members.

“All information will be analysed and examined, and once the investigation reaches the appropriate stage, a charge sheet will be prepared to help ensure justice,” he said.

Police recovered the bodies of former Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakrabarty, 65, his wife, Pritilata Chakrabarty, 50, their daughter, Agami Chakrabarty, 25, and son, Priyam Chakrabarty, 12, from their house and rooftop at around 11:00pm on August 22.

Police said the four were strangled to death on the morning of August 21.

In connection with the killings, police arrested two youths from the same area -- Siddhartha Das, 19, and Mugdha Das, 23 -- in the early hours of Sunday.

Police said the two confessed to the killings in statements recorded before a court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Questions surrounding the murders have intensified after former Commissioner Abdul Mabud gave differing accounts of aspects of the case at two separate press briefings on August 22 and August 27.