A woman and her two daughters were reportedly hacked to death, while another daughter was critically injured, in a gruesome attack in Raipur upazila of Lakshmipur on Thursday morning.
The deceased were identified as Shahinur Begum, 35, and her daughters Ikra, 17, and Sifa, 13.
Shahinur’s eldest daughter, Sayma, 21, sustained severe injuries and was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
The incident took place at a rented residence in the Godown Road area of Ward No. 3 under Raipur Municipality, according to police.
Local residents detained a man suspected of involvement in the killings and handed him over to police after allegedly beating him.
The suspect, Zahir Hossain, a fruit vendor, is currently undergoing treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (Raipur Circle) Md Abdur Rashid said police recovered the bodies from the residence on Thursday morning.
“Three people were killed in a knife attack and another was seriously injured. A suspect has been taken into custody. He is also receiving treatment under police custody,” the police official said.
Raipur Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Baharul Alam said the bodies were taken to the upazila health complex following the incident.
According to family members and local sources, the victims hailed from Lotiya village in Homna upazila of Cumilla district. Shahinur’s husband, Kamal Hossain, died from electrocution in 2019.
Following his death, Shahinur had been living with her daughters in a rented house in Raipur municipality.
The family earned its livelihood by selling plastic household goods in local markets.
Police said preliminary investigations have yet to establish the motive behind the killings.
The detained suspect and the victims are reportedly from the same locality in Cumilla, police said.
Law enforcement officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack and have not ruled out any motive. Further details are awaited as the investigation continues.
