Army arrests two suspects in Cumilla family lynching

The case names 38 people as accused, including UP Chairman Shimul Billah

The Bangladesh Army has detained two accused in a case filed over the killing of a mother and her two children in Koroibari of Muradnagar Upazila in Cumilla.

Rikta Begum, daughter of the deceased Roksana Begum, also known as Rubi, initiated the case with the Bangra Bazar Police Station on Friday.

The case names 38 people, including Shimul Billah, chairman of Akubpur Union Parishad, alongside another 25 unidentified individuals.

The Army nabbed Sabir Ahmed, 48, and Nazim Uddin Babul, 56, from Akubpur around 3:30am on Friday and handed them over to police.

The incident occurred at Koroibari village in the Upazila’s Bangra Bazar Thana around 9am on Thursday, according to Mahfuzur Rahman, chief of the local police station.

The victims were Rubi, 55, her son Rasel Mia, 28, and her daughter Jonaki Akhtar, 22.

Rubi's daughter Rumi Akhtar, 30, was injured. She has been admitted to Comilla Medical College Hospital.

Locals claim that Rubi was involved in drug trafficking for a long time, and “resentment” had led to the incident.

The family claims the incident began from a dispute over a stolen mobile phone, and that the attack had been planned on Wednesday and was carried out the day after.

The bodies were buried late Friday night at the Koroibari graveyard following autopsy at the Comilla Medical College Hospital.