A significant breakthrough has emerged in the investigation into the horrific triple murder at a residential villa in Sylhet’s Raynagar area, as the prime suspect formally admitted before a magistrate that the killings arose from a botched burglary rather than a spurned romantic liaison. Babul Mia, 40, who was detained by law enforcement within hours of the incident, confessed in court that he executed all three killings single-handedly after being caught during an unlawful entry intended to settle overdue rent.
The formal confession was recorded on Thursday evening under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Farhana Sultana. Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Court Inspector in Sylhet, confirmed that the suspect acknowledged full culpability during a rigorous two-hour deposition, after which the magistrate ordered his immediate transfer to Sylhet Central Jail on judicial remand.
The brutal crimes occurred on the morning of 12 August inside “Nikunja Villa”, situated in the quiet Mitali residential quarter of Raynagar. The victims were elderly entrepreneur and former director of the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mohammad Abdus Sattar, 82, his 76-year-old wife Suraiya Begum, and their domestic assistant Tahmina Begum, 25. Mr Sattar had long been an established figure in regional trade circles, holding interests in the coal sector and previously serving as an adviser to the Ward 19 unit of the Sylhet Metropolitan Awami League.
Early police briefings had pointed towards a domestic altercation, speculating that Babul gained access through personal familiarity with the maid and reacted violently after she rejected his romantic overtures. Investigators subsequently reassessed the entire motive following intensive interrogation during a four-day remand sanctioned by the courts on 16 August.
Court records and police sources reveal that Babul was under mounting financial strain after his landlord issued an eviction ultimatum over unpaid rent the night before the incident. Seeking quick funds, he identified Nikunja Villa as an affluent target where cash would be readily accessible. Recognising that closed-circuit television cameras surveyed the main entrance and internal stairs, Babul scaled an exterior balcony at roughly 9:25 am and slipped in through an unbolted doorway.
His intrusion was disrupted almost immediately when he came face to face with Tahmina. As the maid turned to flee, Babul grabbed her from behind and inflicted multiple knife strikes to suppress her cries. Alarmed by the noise, Suraiya Begum rushed from a neighbouring room and tried to pull the intruder away, striking his back. Reacting in panic, Babul swung the blade behind him without turning, cutting her throat before striking repeatedly until she collapsed onto the floor. Moments later, he confronted and overpowered the elderly homeowner, Abdus Sattar, killing him in identical fashion.
Following the killings, the suspect washed the bloodstains from his hands and clothes in an adjoining bathroom. He rifled through storage cupboards in the master bedroom, locating 15,000 taka in 500-taka notes. Before he could search for additional jewellery or assets, an internal landline telephone began ringing and muffled voices approached the front entrance, prompting him to escape over the balcony into the rear alleyways.
Detectives tracked Babul to a settlement in the Raynagar Rajbari quarter, detaining him that afternoon and later recovering the discarded weapon based on his directions. The legal process gained momentum after the victims’ expatriate daughter, Selina Sultana, lodged a formal murder complaint with Kotwali Model Police Station, enabling prosecutors to proceed towards formal indictments.
