Teenager held in Malda, months after killing four family members

West Bengal: A 19-year-old man was arrested in West Bengal’s Malda district on Saturday for allegedly killing four family members and burying them inside an under-construction godown near his house, four months ago.

The incident occurred in Gurutola village, which is part of the Kaliachak police station area. According to Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria, the remains of accused Asif Mohammad’s father Jawad Ali (50), mother Ira Bibi (45), sister Arifa Khatun (17), and grandmother Alekjan Bibi (75) were exhumed in presence of the accused and a magistrate and sent for post-mortem examination.

‘The bodies were buried two meters below the surface inside a godown. They have been sent for autopsy. The accused has been arrested and his elder brother is also suspected to have had a role in the killings,’ SP Alok Rajoria added.

On Friday night, the accused’s 21-year-old brother Arif Mohammad, who had managed to flee during the incident and had changed locations during the past four months, told law enforcement officers at Kaliachak police station about the crime.

‘On February 28, Asif had served all the family members cold drinks spiked with sleeping pills. As they fell unconscious, he tied their hands and gagged their mouths with duct tapes. He then drowned the four persons in a reservoir in the house and buried the bodies in the floor of a room. The elder brother somehow managed to loosen his duct tape and escaped from the house after a brief physical struggle with the accused. He had gone to various places, including Kolkata, during these four months,’ the SP told reporters.

The accused Asif Mohammad had confessed to killing his family members after being interrogated, the police said.

Locals stated that they thought something was wrong since no one from his family had been seen leaving the house in the past four months, and when questioned, Asif claimed they had gone to their flat in Kolkata.

The investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the murders. The accused’s elder brother has been detained and is being questioned, police said.