Gazipur family killing: Police suspect fugitive murderer jumped to death from Padma bridge
Police says the killings appeared to be premeditated and carried out inside the residence with calculated precision.
Police suspect Forkan Molla, the man accused of killing five members of his family in Kapasia, died by suicide after jumping from the Padma Bridge, though his body has not yet been recovered, and formal confirmation remains pending.
The development was confirmed today (14 May) by Gazipur Superintendent of Police Md Sharif Uddin at a press briefing, where investigators presented a reconstructed timeline of the killings, the suspect's movements, and the digital evidence linking him to the final hours before he went missing.
Forkan Molla, 40, a car driver, has been absconding since the night of 8 May, when five members of his family were found brutally murdered inside their rented home in Rautkona Purbo Para village in Kapasia. The victims were his wife, Sharmin, 35, his daughters Mim, 16, Maria, 8, and Faria, 2, and his brother-in-law Rasul Molla, 22.
Police said the killings appeared to be premeditated and carried out inside the residence with calculated precision. Investigators said Forkan had brought Rasul from Gopalganj to Gazipur under the pretext of securing him a garment factory job.
On the night of the incident, he allegedly mixed sedatives into the family's dinner, rendering them unconscious before attacking them. Four victims were killed by having their throats slit with a knife, while the youngest child was suffocated to death. A bloodstained knife and other material evidence were recovered from the scene.
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The breakthrough in the case came through a combination of physical evidence and digital reconstruction linked to Padma Bridge. Investigators said Forkan's mobile phone was recovered on 11 May at around 6:50am from the middle section railing of the bridge, where it was found by a truck driver's assistant before being handed over to police in Meherpur Sadar.
Authorities said the exact recovery point beside the railing became a critical anchor in reconstructing the suspect's final movements.
CCTV footage from Padma Bridge further deepened suspicion. At around 6:42am on 11 May, a white car was seen stopping in the middle of the bridge. A man wearing a white shirt and black trousers then stepped out, stood briefly near the railing, and climbed over before jumping into the Padma River. Police said the individual strongly resembled Forkan, although relatives could not confirm his identity with absolute certainty.
Investigators also reconstructed a detailed escape route leading up to the bridge. According to a source involved in the probe, Forkan's last known mobile activity in Kapasia was recorded at around 4:15am on Saturday (9 May).
He then reportedly travelled from Kapasia to Dhaka's Malibagh in a car, switched to a CNG-run auto-rickshaw toward Muktangan, and later hired another car for Tk6,000 to reach the Padma Bridge area, claiming he was travelling after a relative's death. Police believe this sequence shows a deliberate attempt to obscure his movements before reaching the bridge.
Adding another layer to the investigation, police recovered a WhatsApp voice message allegedly sent by Forkan to his elder brother Jabbar shortly after the killings. In the recording, he is heard saying: "I have killed my wife, children and brother-in-law. Do not look for me anymore. You will never find me." Investigators said the message was retrieved during a digital forensic examination of his communication records.
Police said Forkan's movements after the killings suggest a carefully planned escape attempt that ultimately ended at Padma Bridge. Three specialised police teams, along with intelligence units, were deployed immediately after the incident, and forensic teams recovered key physical evidence from the crime scene.
Authorities said Forkan's body has not yet been recovered from the river. DNA testing will be conducted if remains are found to confirm identity, while investigations continue into both the motive and the full sequence of events leading up to the killings and his suspected death.
