Police have claimed to have solved the mystery surrounding the sensational triple murder in Raynagar, Sylhet city. According to police, Bablu Mia, the boyfriend of slain domestic worker Tahmina Begum, confessed to killing three people following a 20-day relationship with her.
The knife allegedly used in the killings has not yet been recovered, although police have conducted searches for the weapon.
The victims were identified as house owner Md. Abdus Sattar, 82, his wife Suraiya Begum, 76, and their domestic worker Tahmina Begum, 25. They were killed on the second floor of House No. 111 in the Mitali residential area of Raynagar on Wednesday (August 12).
Neighbours reportedly became suspicious after noticing blood seeping from underneath the door of the house on Wednesday morning. They then called the national emergency service 999 to alert police.
Police arrived at the scene, broke open the locked door and recovered the bodies of the three victims. PBI and CID crime-scene teams later collected various pieces of evidence from the scene. The bodies were subsequently sent to the morgue of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College for autopsies.
Following the incident, investigators considered several possible motives, including robbery, family disputes and property-related conflicts.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sarwar Murshed Shamim visited the scene on Wednesday. After inspecting the house, he told reporters that police were investigating several possible motives and had launched a special investigation to solve the case quickly.
At the initial stage of the investigation, police collected CCTV footage from cameras around the house. While analysing the footage, investigators noticed a man wearing a red T-shirt and a cap and began working to identify him.
Based on information obtained from local residents, police arrested Bablu Mia, son of Nur Mia, from Aktar Mia’s colony in the Raynagar Rajbari area within about four hours of the killings.
During interrogation, Bablu allegedly confessed to killing the three victims. According to information he provided, he had thrown the knife used in the killings into a jungle-covered field near the house. Police later conducted a search of the area but had not recovered the weapon at the time of the report.
Police said Bablu had been in a romantic relationship with Tahmina for about 20 days. He went to the house on Wednesday morning to meet her and entered with her consent.
At one point, police said, Bablu proposed having an intimate relationship with Tahmina. When she refused, an argument and physical struggle broke out between them. During the altercation, Bablu allegedly attacked Tahmina with a knife, killing her at the scene.
When Suraiya Begum rushed in after hearing Tahmina’s screams, Bablu allegedly stabbed her as well. When Abdus Sattar came out of his room after hearing the commotion, Bablu told police that he also attacked Sattar with the knife, killing him.
After allegedly killing all three, Bablu locked the door from inside and escaped through the balcony. He later told police that he threw the knife into a jungle-covered field near the house. He did not flee the area, however, and remained in Raynagar after the killings.
The triple murder caused panic and raised numerous questions among local residents. Police said the investigation progressed rapidly with the help of CCTV footage and information provided by local people, leading to Bablu’s arrest within about four hours.
Bablu works as a painter and occasionally worked as a butcher. Police said the knife he used in the killings was likely one he had with him because of his work as a butcher.
