Four of Family Slaughtered in Raipur; Assailant Dead After Mob Justice

A horrifying quadruple murder has shaken Raipur municipality in Lakshmipur, where a mother and her three daughters—including a student of Dhaka University—were hacked to death in their rented home. The chief suspect, identified as 28-year-old Ontor Mojumder, was trapped at the scene by a quick-witted neighbour and subsequently died after being subjected to a severe beating by an outraged mob.

The victims have been identified as Shahinur Begum, 38, and her three daughters: Saima Akter, 20, a student at Dhaka University; Ikra Begum, 17, a college student; and Sipa, 9. The tragedy occurred on Thursday afternoon at a rented residence near the riverbank in the Dhanhata area of Raipur.

Suspicion and Discovery: A Neighbour’s Account

The alarm was raised by Afroza Begum, a neighbour who grew suspicious after hearing desperate cries for help emanating from the house. Upon approaching the window, she called out to Shahinur Begum but received no response.

“Initially, I heard screams, and then everything went completely silent,” Afroza recounted. “After a while, I caught a glimpse of someone moving towards the kitchen through the window. I thought it might be Shahinur’s son, Sifat, and called his name, but there was no reply. Suddenly, the window was slammed shut.”

Her suspicions intensified when she spotted Ontor Mojumder inside the property holding a pair of trousers. When questioned through the window about his presence, Mojumder claimed to be a plumber carrying out pipeline maintenance work. Sensing something was deeply amiss, Afroza locked the main entrance door from the outside to prevent his escape and alerted local residents.

When villagers forced entry into the house, they discovered a gruesome scene, with the floor drenched in blood and the four bodies lying scattered. Trapped inside the building, Mojumder fled to the rooftop in a desperate attempt to escape. However, an angry crowd gathered quickly, cornered him on the roof, and administered a severe beating. Although a police unit rescued him and rushed him to a local hospital, he succumbed to his injuries later that afternoon.

Deception and Background of the Assailant

Investigations have revealed a complex web of deception spun by the assailant. According to local sources, Ontor Mojumder, a resident of Daserhat in Noakhali’s Subarnachar upazila, had been living in the building for a year. He had assumed a false Muslim identity under the name ‘Zahir’ and resided there with a woman. Locally, he was known to earn a living as a floating fruit vendor. Following his death, his body was claimed from the police by a cousin on Friday afternoon.

The victims’ family originally hailed from the Homna upazila of Comilla but had been living in Raipur for the past 25 years. The household had already suffered tragedy in 2019 when the patriarch, Kamal Hossain, died after accidentally coming into contact with a live electrical wire on a road in Kerowa village.

Official Response and Legal Proceedings

The brutal killings have provoked immense grief and anger across the region. On Thursday evening, a human chain was organised in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University by the Lakshmipur District Students’ Welfare Association, demanding a swift and thorough investigation.

High-ranking officials, including the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Chittagong Division Police, Moniruzzaman, and the local Member of Parliament, Abul Khayer Bhuiyan, have inspected the crime scene. A multi-agency probe involving the police, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is currently underway.

Raipur Police Station has registered two separate murder cases under the supervision of Inspector (Investigation) Mohammad Abdul Mannan. The first case was filed by the surviving son of the family, Jihadul Islam Sifat, against Mojumder and several unidentified accomplices. The second case was initiated by Sub-Inspector Aminul Islam against an unidentified mob for the lynching of the suspect and for injuries sustained by seven police officers who attempted to rescue him.

The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Raipur Police Station, Shahin Miah, confirmed that a large machete used in the killings has been recovered from the scene. “Preliminary findings suggest that the attack was carried out by a single individual,” OC Miah stated, adding that multiple police teams are working diligently to uncover the exact motive behind this horrific crime. The bodies of the four victims were handed over to Sifat and his relatives on Friday for burial.