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| - Images depicting the bodies of three Hindu family members from Bangladesh have been shared on social media platform X, with allegations that they fell victim to Islamist violence. Various accounts have disseminated these images, claiming that the individuals, all belonging to the same Hindu family, were decapitated and killed by Muslims in Bangladesh.
Some X posts with this claim can be seen here, here, here, here, and here.
Fact-check
An investigation by Rumor Scanner, based on police and media reports, indicates that the claim of three members of a Bangladeshi Hindu family being murdered by Muslims is incorrect. The actual perpetrator of the triple homicide is identified as Rajib Bhowmik, the nephew of the deceased, who has been arrested and confessed to his involvement.
The investigation into the triple murder in Tarash Upazila, Sirajganj, Bangladesh, was initiated through a simple keyword search that led to multiple local media reports. These reports, based on police statements, confirmed that Rajib Bhowmik was arrested in connection with the triple homicide, citing a financial dispute as the motive. During initial questioning, Bhowmik admitted to the crimes.
A report dated January 31 by the Daily Observer, titled “Entire family is finished by nephew,” detailed that Rajib Kumar Bhowmik murdered his maternal uncle, Bikash Chandra Sarkar, his aunt, Swarna Rani Sarkar, and his cousin, Tushi Sarkar, in Tarash Upazila, Sirajganj district, over financial disagreements.
Rajib Kumar Bhowmik, a 35-year-old resident of Sirajganj, Bangladesh, was apprehended for the murders of his uncle, Bikash Chandra Sarkar, and two other family members. He disclosed his involvement in these killings during police interrogations, which led to the recovery of the murder weapons from his residence.
The murders were premeditated, rooted in a financial dispute where Bikash demanded an additional sum of Tk 35 lakh on top of a previously loaned Tk 20 lakh. Unable to meet this demand, Rajib orchestrated the murders on January 27, luring Bikash home to kill his cousin Tushi and aunt Swarna, before murdering Bikash upon his arrival. Rajib fled on a motorcycle, leaving the bodies locked in a room, and disposed of the murder weapon in a pond, while hiding a blood-stained weapon (hasua) at his house.
The police investigation was further supported by call records from the mobile phone of the deceased, Bikash Sarkar, which showed numerous calls with his nephew, Rajib, prior to the murder. Based on this evidence, police summoned Rajib and other relatives to the Tarash police station. Rajib’s suspicious behavior and responses during interrogation led to his detention and subsequent confession to the murders of his uncle, aunt, and cousin.
A police press briefing video titled “Unveiling the Mystery of the Triple Murder in Sirajganj: The Murderer Is Nephew Rajib” (translated from Bangla) was located on the ‘Channel 24’ YouTube channel, corroborating the details of the incident.
Bottom Line
The social media claim attributing the murder of three Hindu family members in Tarash Upazila, Sirajganj, to Islamist violence has been proven false based on police and media reports. Rumor Scanner’s investigation, relying on these sources, identified Rajib Bhowmik as the murderer, who confessed to the triple homicide motivated by financial disputes, dispelling the communal narrative circulated online.
Therefore, the claim that these murders were a result of Islamist violence is categorically false, as the incident was rooted in a personal and financial dispute within the family.
Sources
- Daily Observer – Entire family is finished by nephew
- Prothom Alo – তাড়াশে তিন খুন ভাগনেই শেষ করে দিল পরিবারটিকে
- Channel 24 – সিরাজগঞ্জে ট্রিপল মার্ডারের রহস্য উন্মোচন, খুনি ভাগ্নে রাজিব | Sirajganj News | BD Police
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