Police detained a man in connection with a case filed two days after the death of a couple and their son at a hotel in Moghbazar area of the capital.
The arrestee is Rafiqul Islam, a distant uncle of victim Saudi expatriate Monir Hossain and caretaker of his property in Keraniganj.
Monir’s elder brother Nurul Amin Manik filed the case with the Ramna Model Police Station on Tuesday accusing unidentified individuals of murder.
Golam Faruk, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ramna Model Police Station, confirmed the filing of the case and said police have launched an investigation taking it as a serious matter.
He said police had detained Rafiqul for questioning shortly after the incident as he was the one who brought the food from the nearby restaurant on the evening before the deaths of three family members.
According to the case statement, Monir had recently traveled to Dhaka with his wife Nasrin Akhter Swapna, and their son Naeem Hossain Arafat, from their village home to seek medical treatment for his son, who had physical disabilities.
Upon arrival on June 28, the family checked into Room 103 of the Sweet Sleep Residential Hotel in Moghbazar after failing to secure a doctor’s appointment at SPRC Hospital.
Md Rafiqul Islam accompanied the family. The complaint stated that a dispute arose between Monir and Rafiqul over land and financial matters.
In the afternoon, Monir and Rafiqul went at a nearby restaurant for lunch. Later, Rafiqul reportedly brought food from the same restaurant to the hotel for Monir’s wife and son before returning to Keraniganj.
According to the family’s statement, all three — Monir, Nasrin, and Naeem — became violently ill after eating the food and began vomiting.
The next morning, Monir called Rafiqul for help. Rafiqul arrived around 8am, and the family was taken to Ad-Din Hospital. Between 11:30am and 1pm on June 29, doctors declared all three dead.
The complaint alleges that Monir, his wife, and child were poisoned, possibly through the food brought to the hotel, as part of a premeditated attempt to seize his property.
Police say an autopsy and toxicology tests are pending to confirm the cause of death.
The autopsies of the three bodies were completed on Monday afternoon at Dhaka Medical College morgue.
Forensic doctors gave a preliminary opinion that the deaths were caused by poisoning, which is also supported by the police’s initial report.