Police have arrested three close relatives in connection with the brutal murder of four members of a family in Niamatpur upazila, an incident investigators have described as a premeditated “killing mission” sparked by a long-standing property dispute.
The suspects were identified by the District Superintendent of Police (SP), Tariqul Islam, as Shahidul Islam, his son Shahin Hossain, and Sabuj Rana.
Shahidul is the brother-in-law of the primary victim, Habibur Rahman, while Shahin and Sabuj are Habibur’s nephews. All three reside in Bahadurpur village within the upazila.
On Tuesday morning, the bodies of Habibur Rahman, 32, his wife Popy Sultana, 25, their nine-year-old son Parvez, and three-year-old daughter Sadia Akhter were discovered at their home in Bahadurpur. All four victims had their throats slit.
Motive and planning
According to the SP, the root of the violence lay in the distribution of 17 bighas of land by Habibur’s father, Namiuddin.
Namiuddin had transferred 13 bighas, including the family homestead, to his son Habibur, leaving the remaining four bighas to be shared among his five daughters. This distribution reportedly created deep-seated enmity between Habibur and his sisters, brothers-in-law, and nephews.
Police investigations revealed that Habibur’s sister, Shirin Akhter, along with Shahin and Sabuj Rana, allegedly masterminded the plan to eliminate the family.
The plot intensified on Monday afternoon after Habibur returned from Chhatra Bazar with Sabuj Rana; the pair had intended to buy cattle with Tk 1.4 lakh but returned home without making a purchase.
Following the market trip, Sabuj Rana, Shahidul, and Shahin met with four other accomplices in a village field to finalise the execution of the murders.
The ‘killing mission’
The SP detailed a chilling sequence of events from Monday night. Sabuj Rana visited Habibur’s house and joined the family for dinner. During this time, Shahin managed to slip into the house undetected and hid in one of the rooms. After dinner, Sabuj Rana left the premises.
Once the family had fallen asleep, Shahin emerged from hiding to open the main gate, allowing Sabuj Rana, Shahidul, and five other individuals to enter.
The attackers first secured the house by locking Habibur’s father, Namiuddin, inside his room from the outside. They then proceeded to kill Habibur and his family members one by one.
Investigation and Recovery In an apparent attempt to deflect suspicion, Sabuj Rana joined other villagers at the crime scene on Tuesday morning after news of the massacre spread.
However, during police interrogation of four initial detainees – including Sabuj, his father Namir Uddin, and Habibur’s sisters Dalima and Halima Begum – Sabuj confessed to his involvement in the killings.
Following the confession, police recovered a sharp weapon hidden in paddy husk at the property and a knife from an adjacent pond. A case has been formally filed at Niamatpur Police Station.
SP Tariqul Islam stated that law enforcement agencies are continuing their efforts to apprehend the remaining individuals involved in the crime.
