A suspected attacker was beaten to death by a mob after allegedly hacking a mother and her three daughters to death in Raipur municipality of Lakshmipur, police said.
The death toll in the brutal incident rose to four after another injured victim succumbed to her injuries on the way to Dhaka.
The incident took place at a house in the Godown Road area under Ward No 3 of the municipality on Thursday morning, where a mother and her three daughters were hacked during an attack.
Three of them died on the spot, while another was critically injured.
The victims were identified as Shahinur Begum, 38, and her daughters Saima Akter, 21, a Dhaka University student; Iqra Akter, 17, a college student; and Shifa Akter, 9.
Shahinur, originally from Cumilla, had been living in a rented house on Godown Road under Ward No. 3 of the municipality for several years following the death of her husband, Md Kamal.
Lakshmipur Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Abu Tareq said Antor Majumdar, 35, son of Katrik Majumdar from Noakhali, stormed into the house around 11am and attacked the victims with a sharp weapon.
Shahinur, Saima and Shifa died on the spot, while Iqra was critically injured.
The injured girl was first taken to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital and later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. However, she died on the way to Dhaka.
Police said that following the attack, locals rushed to the scene after hearing screams and managed to detain the attacker.
He was then beaten by an angry mob, leaving him critically injured.
Police later rescued him and took him to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital, where he also died.
During the incident, agitated locals reportedly hurled brick chips at police personnel, injuring six to seven officers, officials said.
The bodies of the victims were sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy.
Locals said the attacker had previously lived in the same building for a few months and worked as a fruit vendor.
Police said the motive behind the attack remains unclear.
“The exact reason behind the incident is still under investigation. We will be able to confirm details after completing the probe,” SP Abu Tareq said.
