Napa syrup didn't kill children, mother poisoned them: Police

The mother confessed to killing the two children in Ashuganj of Brahmanbaria feeding them the poisoned sweets. But she later covered up the incident claiming her two sons died after consuming Napa syrup, police said.

Brahmanbaria additional police superintendent (administration and crime) Molla Mohammad Shahin told Prothom Alo that the mother of two children, Lima Begum, used to work at a paddy silo where she engaged in an extramarital affair with the labourers' leader Shafiqullah. They decided to marry off. But the two sons Yeasin Khan, 7, and Mursalin Khan, 4, were the main barrier to doing that.

So, they planned to kill the children. As a part of their plan, the children were given poisonised sweets at first. An hour later, Lima fed them the Napa syrup to divert the incident, Molla Mohammad Shahin added.

He confirmed that Lima was sent to the Brahmanbaria court for a confessional statement under 165 section.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ismail Hossain, father of the children, filed a case over the deaths against Lima Begum and several others. Police arrested Lima later.

Ashuganj police station officer-in-charge told Prothom Alo that two more unnamed people were accused in this case. The mother of two children was arrested last night.

Two children Yeasin and Mursalin died on 10 March at Najarpara village of Durgapur union in Ashuganj.

Earlier on Saturday, the Director General of Drug Administration (DGDA) instructed its divisional and district offices to collect samples of the medicinal syrup that was thought to be responsible for the death of two children.

Later on Monday, the DGDA director general major general Mohammad Yusuf briefed the newsmen that they haven't found any harmful elements in the medicinal 'Napa syrup'.