Mother, three daughters hacked to death in Lakshmipur; suspected killer dies after mob beating

A woman and her three daughters were hacked to death in Lakshmipur's Raipur upazila on Thursday (25 June), while a man suspected of carrying out the killings later died after being beaten by a mob.

The deceased were identified as Shahinur Begum, 35, and her daughters Sayma Akter, 21, Ikra Akter, 17, and Shifa Akter, 9.

Police recovered the bodies from a residential building near the Dakatiya River in the Denayetpur area of Raipur municipality in the afternoon.

Speaking to The Business Standard on Friday (26 June), Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital Residential Medical Officer Dr Arup Pal said, "The autopsies of the four deceased have been completed. Each of them had sharp weapon injuries on their heads and bodies."

"Whether any of them were victims of rape can be determined after the chemical analysis report is received," he added.

Ikra was initially found critically injured and was being taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but she died on the way, police and family members said.

Following the incident, locals detained Antor Majumder, 28, whom they suspected of involvement in the killings, and beat him before handing him over to the police.

Dr Arup Pal said Antor was brought to the Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital in critical condition. "After primary treatment, we referred him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but he died before the transfer could be completed."

Meanwhile, the police have not yet confirmed the reason behind this incident.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (Raipur Circle) Md Abdur Rashed told TBS that police had launched an investigation and working to uncover the truth.

The killings have left 18-year-old Junaed Islam Sifat, Shahinur's only son, as the sole surviving member of the family. A Class XI student at Raipur Government College, Sifat also worked at a local business to help support the family after his father, Kamal Hossain, died from electrocution in 2019.

Speaking to reporters, Sifat said he had left home for work at around 7am, as he did every day.

"At around 11am, a neighbour called me and asked me to come home. When I entered the kitchen, I saw my mother's bloodied body. Then I found my sisters lying in different parts of the house. I lost consciousness after seeing the scene," he said.

Police said Antor, a travelling fruit vendor from Noakhali's Subarnachar upazila, had previously lived in the same building as the victims for about one and a half years before moving out seven to eight months ago.

Lakshmipur Superintendent of Police Md Abu Tarek said investigators believe Antor entered the house because he was already familiar with the family through his previous tenancy.

Neighbour Afroza Akter Rani said Shahinur had been entrusted by the building owner with collecting rent from other tenants as the owner lived elsewhere.

Some residents suspect Antor may have believed Shahinur kept cash or valuables because she collected rent on the owner's behalf. Police, however, said they have not established any motive behind the killings.

The bodies of Shahinur and her three daughters were handed over to family members after post-mortem examinations on Friday (26 June), police said.

According to relatives, funeral prayers were scheduled to be held in Raipur before the bodies were taken to their ancestral home at Lotia village in Cumilla's Homna upazila for burial.

Sayma had completed higher secondary studies at Adamjee Cantonment College and had recently sat for admission tests for the University of Dhaka and medical colleges. Ikra was a Class XI student at Lakshmipur Government College, while Shifa studied in Class III at a local school in Raipur.