Yaba behind four murders in Rangpur

• Four of a family killed in Rangpur, 2 arrested
• Killers reportedly took a shower, ate dates at dining table and consumed yaba after murders; police say family was killed for obstructing yaba use, family alleges planned killing over extortion

Police recovered the bodies of four members of a family, including a retired schoolteacher, his wife and their two children, from a locked house in Rangpur city. The incident occurred at the locked house in Machuapara area of Kamal Kachna in the city at around 11pm Saturday. The gruesome killings have caused widespread shock. Police say the family was killed for obstructing yaba consumption on the roof of the house. However, Gopinath Chakraborty, elder brother of victim Ganapati Chakraborty, claimed there had been a dispute over extortion money during construction of the house. He suspects that the family may have been deliberately killed over that dispute.

The deceased were retired senior schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty Jewel, 65; his wife Pritilata Chakraborty Bala, 50; daughter Prarthi Chakraborty, 25; and son Priyam Chakraborty, 12. Students and teachers of the district school and various educational institutions in the city formed a human chain protesting the four murders inside the house and demanding that those involved be identified, arrested and given exemplary punishment.

Police said the house of schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty Jewel had remained locked from outside for several days. As no one had been heard from for a long time and a foul smell was coming from inside, local residents became suspicious. After locals informed the police station, police arrived, broke open the lock and recovered the bodies of four people from inside the house. Among the deceased, the body of teacher Ganapati Chakraborty Jewel was recovered from the second-floor roof, that of his wife Pritilata Chakraborty Bala from the staircase, and those of his daughter Prarthi Chakraborty, who had recently completed her master’s degree from Carmichael College, and son Priyam Chakraborty, a fifth-grade student at Rangpur Zilla School, from underneath a bed inside the house.

It is learnt that schoolteacher Ganapati Chakraborty Jewel retired from teaching in December 2025. After retirement, he regularly provided treatment at a homeopathy chamber at Rangpur Cooperative Market. His ancestral home is in the Mirzapur area of Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur. Meanwhile, police said the murders took place after the family objected to yaba consumption on the roof of the house. Police arrested Mugdha Das, 23, son of Kanudas of Machuapara area, and Siddhartha Das, 19, son of Binoy Chandra Das, in connection with the incident. Police said they confessed to the murders during interrogation.

According to information provided by the police commissioner, the investigation team collected several important clues from the scene that directly helped identify the perpetrators. Police found clear evidence of yaba consumption, particularly on the roof of the house. In addition, the killers took cucumbers from the refrigerator and ate them, leaving behind date seeds. They also left behind date seeds and half of a bitten cucumber. During a search of the house, police also found a gold bangle that had been tested or burned with fire. This led police to believe that someone with experience in gold-related work from the locality was involved in the incident.

Police said Ganapati Chakraborty was a respected person and that his family had no disputes with anyone. According to police, the accused Mugdha and Siddhartha came to the roof of the house late Thursday night by crossing over the roof of an adjacent building. The two were consuming yaba on the roof. Hearing a noise, Ganapati Chakraborty went upstairs and asked them why they were gathering there. To conceal their identities, they wrapped a towel around his neck and killed him. Hearing his screams, Pritilata Chakraborty came up the stairs, and she too was strangled with a towel. Their daughter Prarthi Chakraborty came forward after hearing her mother’s screams and was also killed by wrapping a towel and rope around her neck.

According to police, the accused told investigators that it took them four to five minutes to kill Prarthi Chakraborty. During that time, they wrapped a rope around her neck and face. Finally, they killed child Priyam while he was asleep by wrapping cloth around him and suffocating him with a pillow. The police commissioner said that after the murders, the killers took a shower in a bathroom of the house, then sat at the dining table and ate dates and consumed the remaining yaba. They later left the house with some gold ornaments when the streets became deserted during Friday prayers. They hid the gold ornaments in an abandoned area behind a nearby temple. The evidence was recovered based on information provided by the accused, he said.

He further said the accused deliberately scattered household belongings to divert the investigation and make police believe that the incident was a robbery. He also said that two mobile phones belonging to the family had been soaked in water mixed with detergent to remove fingerprints.

Earlier, Rangpur CID’s acting Superintendent of Police Mr. Sumit Chowdhury told journalists that the electricity connection to the house had been disconnected. “Considering the circumstances and the condition inside the house, I initially felt that it could be a robbery. The furniture and places where money or jewellery are usually kept had been vandalised. However, nothing can be said conclusively at this stage without an investigation,” he said.

However, Gopinath Chakraborty, elder brother of victim Ganapati Chakraborty, claimed that there had been a dispute over extortion money during construction of the house. He suspects that the family may have been deliberately killed as a result of that dispute. “There was a dispute over extortion money when the house was being constructed. After that, they continued living in the house. The electricity line was disconnected to make the incident appear different. This was a planned murder. We want a fair investigation and justice for these killings,” he said.

Gopinath Chakraborty said they learned through Ganapati’s brother-in-law that no one could contact any of the four family members. All four mobile phones used by them were found switched off. The main gate of the house was also locked and the inside was dark. Later, a local youth was sent to check the house. However, before he could reach the house, relatives went there and found the bodies. Visiting the Machuapara area, it was seen that police had cordoned off the two-storey house. Construction work was underway on the ground floor. After completing construction of the upper floor, the family had been living there. The deaths of the four family members cast a pall of grief over the entire area. Relatives, neighbours and local residents were seen gathered in front of the house.

Sonali Das, a housewife living next door, said, “They were a very good family. They mixed with everyone and talked to everyone. I do not know who could have killed them so brutally. Whether there was hostility within the family or with someone from outside will be known through the investigation.”