Girl injured in Lakshmipur attack dies; death toll including accused rises to 5
Crowds gather in front of the apartment of slain mother and daughters in Raipur. Photo: Agamir Somoy
The injured daughter of Shahinur, who was hacked to death in Raipur, Lakshmipur, has died. Shahinur and her two other daughters were killed immediately after a matchet attack. Meanwhile, the suspect, who was critically injured in a mob beating, died at the hospital.
The crime took place on Thursday morning on Godown Road under Ward No. 3 of the municipality.
The victims are: Shahinur Begum (38), her eldest daughter Sayma Akhter (21), her second daughter Ikra Akhter (17), and her youngest daughter Shifa Akhter (9). Among them, Ikra died on her way to Dhaka. Dr. Baharul Alam, the Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer of Raipur, confirmed this information.
The accused in the attack has been identified as Antor Mojumdar. His death was confirmed by Arup Pal, the Resident Medical Officer of the Sadar Hospital. He said Antor was critically injured in mob beating and preparations were underway to send him to Dhaka when but he died.
According to police and locals, Shahinur lived on the ground floor of an apartment building on Godown Road with her three daughters and one son. Her husband, Md. Kamal, died several years ago from electrocution. Their ancestral home is in Muradnagar of Cumilla district. Their son, Sifat Hossain, works at a shop named Haider Traders in the city. The eldest daughter, Sayma, was a student of the University of Dhaka. The youngest, Shifa, studied at a local school. Ikra was a twelfth-grade student at Raipur Kazi Faruki College.
The accused, Antor, used to live as a tenant in the same apartment but moved to another house about two months ago.
At the scene, Shahinur's son Sifat spoke to reporters. He said, "I left for the shop in the morning. I got the information that my family members are matchet-attacked in our apartment. I rushed back and saw my mother and sisters in this condition."
A Neighbor Rani Begum described the event, saying, "Around 10:30 AM, I heard screaming and looked towards Shahinur's window. I saw someone moving around inside. I asked him who he was. He said he had come to fix the house's tap. Looking inside carefully, I saw the mother and daughters lying in a pool of blood."
Hearing Rani's screams, nearby locals gathered. They closed the collapsible gate of the house and informed the police.
Eyewitness Alamgir Hossain said, "That accused climbed down from the fourth-floor roof using a pipe, onto the tin roof of the neighboring house, and hid there. I went along with another person, tied his hands, and brought him down. After that, the locals beat him."
Raipur Police Station OC Shahin Mia said that once the situation came under control, the police came under attack. Seven of their officers were injured by bricks and stones thrown by the locals. After that, the mother, three daughters, and Antor were sent to the Upazila Health Complex.
Doctors declared Shahinur, Sayma, and Shifa dead. Ikra was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition but died on the way.
Upazila Health Officer Baharul said the bodies of Shahinur and her daughters bore multiple sharp-weapon injuries. He also observed that there was sharp-weapon wounds on the accused's head.
