Jewellery and cash were not stolen, so why were they murdered?

Police have not yet determined the motive behind the killing of a mother and her three daughters, who were attacked with sharp weapons after the assailant entered their home in Raipur, Lakshmipur. According to investigators, the gold jewellery and cash inside the house were found untouched. However, police said that two mobile phones belonging to two of the victims were recovered outside the building.

On Sunday afternoon, police searched the house as part of their investigation. During the search, officers confirmed that the gold jewellery and cash inside the home had not been looted. The same day, two mobile phones used by Shahinur Begum (40) and one of her daughters were recovered from outside the building. Police said the phones were found in the narrow gap between two adjacent buildings.

Investigators believe that Antar Majumdar (28), the man accused of killing the mother and her three daughters, had taken the phones with him while fleeing the scene. However, after he was caught and beaten by an angry crowd, the two phones are believed to have fallen into that spot.
Police officials said that because the gold jewellery and cash were left untouched in the house, it is apparent that robbery was not the sole motive behind the killings. However, investigators are trying to determine why Antar fled with the two mobile phones.

Police have already examined the call records of all the phone numbers used by the accused, Antar, as well as those used by the victims. According to investigators, they found no evidence of previous communication or conversations between Antar and any members of the family.

Investigating officers said that because the mother, her three daughters, and the accused, Antar Majumdar, all died at the scene, solving the case has been particularly challenging. Even so, police say they are optimistic that they will soon be able to determine the motive for the killings.

The incident occurred last Thursday at a rented house on the bank of a river in the Dhanhata area of Raipur pourashava. The victims were Shahinur Begum (40) and her three daughters, Saima Akter (21), Nafisa Akter Ikra (17), and Fatema Akter Sipa (10).

After the killings, the accused, Antar Majumdar, was caught by local residents while trying to flee and was beaten by the crowd. He later died while receiving treatment at Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital. Antar was from Subarnachar Upazila in Noakhali. His father's name was Kartik Majumdar.
Local residents said that Shahinur Begum's in-laws' home is in Lotiya village of Homna Upazila, Cumilla. Her husband, Kamal Hossain, had moved with the family to Raipur in search of work. In 2019, Kamal was electrocuted and died in Raipur. Since then, Shahinur had been the family's sole breadwinner.

In addition to her three daughters, Shahinur had a 16-year-old son, Junaid Islam, also known as Sifat. He worked at a shop that sold steel rods and cement. At the time of the killings, he was at work.

Of Shahinur's three daughters who were killed, Ikra was a 12th-grade student, and Sipa was in the 4th grade. Saima Akter had completed her Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) from Adamjee Cantonment College in Dhaka.

Raipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahin Mia told Prothom Alo that investigators initially believed Antar Majumdar had entered the house with the intention of committing robbery. However, because the gold jewelry and cash were found untouched inside the home, police are now fairly certain that robbery was not the motive.

The OC said that police have analysed the call records and other digital data from all the mobile phones used by Shahinur Begum's family and by the accused, Antar Majumdar. The analysis found no evidence of any communication between Antar and the family. As a result, police are also fairly confident that there was no prior relationship or close acquaintance between Antar and the victims.

Describing the deaths of all five people at the scene as a major challenge for investigators, OC Shahin Mia said, "There are no surviving eyewitnesses who were present at the scene during the killings. As a result, we have to rely on the physical evidence recovered from the scene, forensic findings, and circumstantial evidence to move the investigation forward. Until the true motive for the murders is established, we are not ruling out any possibility."

Local residents are calling for a swift trial and are urging investigators to determine whether anyone besides Antar Majumdar was involved in the killings.

On Sunday afternoon, a human chain protest was held at Shaheed Osman Square in Raipur Municipality, demanding punishment for everyone responsible for the crime.

The demonstration was organised under the banner of the General Students of Raipur. People from various walks of life took part.
Speaking at the protest, Hafsa Kabir, a classmate of Nafisa Akter Ikra, said that although four days had passed since the killings, no clear explanation had yet been provided regarding the motive. This, she said, had given rise to many questions and concerns among the public. She added that completing the investigation quickly and revealing the true facts would put an end to rumors and uncertainty.

Rakib Hossain, a classmate of Saima Akter, said that four members of a helpless family had been brutally murdered, and that the person accused of the crime had later died after being beaten by a mob. He warned that if the true motive behind such a major incident is not uncovered, it could undermine public confidence in law and order. He urged investigators to conduct a thorough, impartial investigation without any negligence and to examine every possible angle.