Published : 27 Aug 2026, 10:54 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:36 AM
Police say the two men arrested over the killing of retired teacher Ganapati Chakraborty and three members of his family in Rangpur have given new details in court that investigators are now seeking to verify through forensic and other evidence.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud said police would seek court permission to conduct DNA and drug tests on Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das.
Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, Mabud said investigators had obtained several new pieces of information from the suspects’ statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
He added that the pair described using yaba, being on the roof of Ganapati’s home and killing the other family members after the retired teacher was killed.
Police are now comparing those accounts with the post-mortem reports, forensic findings and other evidence.
The post-mortems found that all four victims died from strangulation. Forensic examinations found no evidence of rape involving Ganapati’s wife Pritilata Chakraborty, or their daughter Agami Chakraborty.
“Different aspects of the investigation are being examined to uncover the full circumstances behind the four killings,” Mabud said.
“As part of this, DNA samples will be collected from Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das and they will undergo drug tests.”
Police are also investigating whether anyone else was involved.
Ganapati, a former accounting teacher at Rangpur Zilla School, retired in December 2025.
He had been living with his family for around three years on the upper floor of an unfinished house in Machuapara, also known as Daspara, after moving from a rented home near Bangladesh Bank Mor.
After retiring, Ganapati also saw patients as a homoeopathic practitioner.
Police recovered the bodies of Ganapati, 60, his wife Pritilata, 50, their postgraduate student daughter Agami, 25, and their son Ayush Priyam Chakraborty, 12, from the house on Saturday night.
Ganapati’s elder brother Gopinath Chakraborty filed a murder case with Kotwali Police Station against unidentified suspects the following day.
Mugdha, 23, and Siddhartha, 19, were arrested early on Sunday. Police said they later gave confessional statements before a court under Section 164.
Their friend Simanta Das gave a witness statement in court on Tuesday. Police say all three used yaba together on the night of the killings.
The investigation has since been transferred from Kotwali Police to the Detective Branch of Rangpur Metropolitan Police, with DB Inspector Jinnat Ali now leading the case.
Police Say Suspects Used Yaba Before Killings
Citing the suspects’ statements, police said Siddhartha and Mugdha first went to Simanta’s home on the night of the killings and used yaba, a methamphetamine-based stimulant drug, there.
They later obtained more of the drug before climbing over a wall into a neighbouring property and crossing from its roof to Ganapati’s home.
Police said the pair sat behind a water tank on the roof using yaba and remained there until dawn.
Ganapati later came onto the roof for a morning walk and spotted them.
According to police, the suspects told the court they became frightened after Ganapati confronted them and decided to kill him because they feared he would raise the alarm and alert neighbours.
Ganapati 'Strangled With Gamchha'
Police said Siddhartha and Mugdha described wrapping a gamchha, a traditional coarse cotton cloth, around Ganapati’s neck and pulling it from opposite sides until he died.
“The post-mortem findings are consistent with the account given by the suspects,” Mabud said.
He said the statements also described Ganapati’s wife and daughter coming to the roof after hearing a noise.
Police say the pair then killed Pritilata and Agami after they began screaming.
Child ‘Recognised Siddharta’
The suspects later went downstairs because they were worried there might be CCTV cameras in the house, according to police.
Their statements say they found a pair of pliers and cut electrical wires before returning upstairs and entering Ganapati’s room.
There they found Ayush awake.
According to police, the child recognised Siddhartha and called him by name.
Mabud said this differed from the initial police account that the boy had been asleep.
“The suspects feared the child could scream and alert others. They killed him for that reason,” he said.
Suspects 'Tried to Stage Robbery'
Police said the suspects told the court that they showered inside the house after the killings and used yaba again.
They then allegedly scattered belongings around the rooms in an attempt to make the incident look like a burglary or robbery.
Jewellery was placed in a bag and Tk 15,000 was taken from the house, according to police.
Mabud said Mugdha’s statement referred to the pair using nine yaba tablets that night, while Siddhartha’s account put the number at eight.
According to their statements, Mugdha left with the cash while Siddhartha took the bag of jewellery and later buried it behind a nearby house.
Mabud said the residents of the property where the jewellery was allegedly hidden knew nothing about it.
Police Hunt Yaba Dealer
Police said the suspects’ statements also identified a man named Shanto as the person from whom they obtained yaba.
The pair said they had left a mobile phone with him as security when obtaining the drugs.
Mabud said police were trying to arrest Shanto.
