Panic and outrage have spread across Bogura district after three brutal murder incidents took place within just 16 hours in separate locations. The victims include a housewife, a schoolboy, and a five-month-old infant allegedly killed by his drug-addicted father. The incidents occurred between late Wednesday night (May 20) and Thursday afternoon (May 21) in Gabtali and Sariakandi upazilas.
Around 12:15 am on Wednesday night, 45-year-old Rita Rani Majumdar was found murdered in her bedroom at Mominhata Southpara area of Gabtali upazila. She was the wife of local resident Bidhan Chandra Roy.
According to family members and police, the couple had been living alone as their children study in Dhaka. After dinner, they went to sleep in separate rooms. Late at night, Bidhan heard groaning sounds from his wife’s room and rushed in to find her blood-soaked body lying on the floor. The main entrance door of the house was found open.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (Gabtali Circle) Humayun Kabir said the body had been recovered and sent for autopsy, while police are investigating the motive behind the killing.
At around noon on Thursday, Abdullah Al Sayem Mustakim (17), a ninth-grade science student, was stabbed to death in front of Naokhila PN High School in Sariakandi upazila.
Local sources said a dispute had developed a few days earlier over a football match and team support between Mustakim and Shahadat Hossain, a tenth-grade student of a neighboring school. On Thursday, Shahadat, along with his father Shaha Ali and uncle Likhon Mia, allegedly attacked Mustakim with sticks and sharp weapons. During the assault, Mustakim was stabbed in the abdomen.
He was rushed to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura, where doctors declared him dead.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sariakandi Police Station A F M Asaduzzaman confirmed the incident and said raids are underway to arrest the accused.
Another heartbreaking incident occurred around 3:30 pm on Thursday in the Kolakopa Subodh Bazar area under Baliaghata union of Gabtali upazila. A man named Raihan Ali has been accused of strangling his five-month-old son, Abdullah, to death.
Locals said Raihan had long been addicted to drugs. On Thursday afternoon, he allegedly returned home in an intoxicated state and suddenly grabbed the infant by the throat, killing him on the spot. Neighbors later informed the police.
Gabtali Model Police Station OC Rakib Hasan said the accused father has been absconding since the incident, and multiple police teams are working to arrest him.
The three murders within such a short period have raised serious concerns over law and order in Bogura. Senior police officials visited the crime scenes following the incidents.
Police said all bodies were sent to the morgue of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital for autopsy. Authorities added that investigations are ongoing and special operations have been launched to bring those responsible to justice.
