Police have revealed that a long-running family land dispute was the motive behind the murder of two children and their grandmother in Khulna earlier this month.
The details were disclosed on Saturday at a press conference at the Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) office, where Additional Police Commissioner Abu Raihan Muhammad Saleh briefed reporters on the investigation.
On 16 November, grandmother Mohitunnesa and her grandchildren, Mustaqim and Fatiha, were found murdered inside their home on Dorbesh Goli in Ward 31 under Labanchora Police Station. The children’s mother works at the Khulna Deputy Commissioner’s Office, while their father is employed at the Khulna Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Police said the prime accused, Shamim Ahmed, has already given a confessional statement in court under Section 164. He was arrested on Wednesday night at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka while attempting to flee abroad.
According to investigators, Shamim and the victims’ father, Shafar Ahmed, are cousins locked in a prolonged dispute over ancestral land in the Rupsha area. During a previous imprisonment in an arms case, Shamim reportedly developed ties with a criminal group.
Police said that after his release, Shamim hired members of the group to eliminate his rival’s family. On 16 November, he and several hired assailants entered Shafar Ahmed’s home and killed the three victims by hitting them on the head with bricks.
Investigators believe between four and six people took part in the attack, with four directly involved in the killings and others keeping watch outside.
After the murders, Shamim went into hiding and later tried to leave the country before being detained at the airport and handed over to Labanchora Police.
His statement was recorded on Friday by Judge Md Asaduzzaman of the Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Court, who ordered him into jail custody. Police say efforts are underway to arrest the remaining accomplices.
