Rajib Kumar Bhowmik killed his maternal uncle Bikash Chandra Sarkar, aunt Swarna Rani Sarkar and cousin Tushi Sarkar at Tarash upazila in Sirajganj district as they sought their dues from him, police said.
The 35-year-old Rajib was arrested by Sirajganj detective branch of police on Tuesday (January 30) night. He is the son of late Biswanath Kumar Bhowmik of Telipara village in Udhunia union under Ullapara upazila in Sirajganj district. The killer Rajib is the nephew of the slain Bikash Chandra Sarkar.
Police Super Md Arifur Rahman Mondal stated it at a press conference held at the office of Superintendent of Police in Sirajganj on Wednesday (January 31) afternoon.
He said Rajib Kumar Bhowmik confessed his involvement in triple murder case during preliminary questioning. Based on his information, police later recovered the weapons from Rajib’s house which were used in the murders.
On Tuesday night, slain Bikash Sarker’s wife Swarna Rani’s brother Sukomol Chandra Saha filed a murder case at Tarash Police Station.
Police Super Arifur Rahman Mondal said uncle Bikash Chandra Sarkar gave Rajib Tk 20 lakh for foodgrain stocking and selling business following the death of his father in 2021.
Though Rajib paid his uncle Tk 26 lakh with interest on various installments, uncle Bikash Sarkar demanded Tk 35 lakh more with interest from his nephew Rajib this year.
On January 22, Bikash Chandra Sarkar put pressure on Rajib to re-pay the additional amount within a week and also talked to Rajib’s mother. As Rajib failed to mobilise the amount, uncle Bikash hurled abusive language to his sister and nephew Rajib over mobile phones. Being failed to mobilise the amount, Rajib then planned to kill the entire family including his uncle.
As per the plan, Rajib called his uncle over phone on Saturday afternoon (January 27 last) to come saying he would give the money around 5:30pm. As uncle Bikash Chandra Sarkar was staying outside Tarash upazila, he asked Rajib to leave the money to his aunt Swarna.
Taking advantage of aunt’s absence, Rajib went to his uncle’s house. Then he sought a cup of coffee from Swarna. As Swarna went to bring coffee, Rajib hit his cousin Tushi’s head with an iron rod. As Tushi fell unconscious, Rajib then murdered her slitting her throat with a sharp weapon and ensured her death.
Then his aunt returned with a cup of coffee, and Rajib also killed her in the same way. Then he called in his uncle Bikash. When Bikash entered the house, Rajib also killed him in the same way. Keeping the dead bodies inside a room, Rajib then locked it and left the house with a motorcycle.
On the way, he dropped the iron rod in a pond and kept the bag with the blood-stained weapon (hasua) in his house.
Later, police recovered the throat-slit bodies of businessman Bikash Sarker, 45, his wife Swarna Rani Sarker, 40, and daughter Class X student Tushi Sarker, 15, from a locked flat at Barowari Battala Mahalla under Tarash upazila on Monday night.
Additional Police Super (Crime and Ops) Samiul Alam, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ullapara Circle Amrita Sutradhar, OC Nazrul Islam of Tarash Police Station, OC Julhas Uddin of Detective Branch (DB) and others were present at the press conference.
