3 found dead in Sylhet, police launch spl probe

Police have launched an investigation into the killing of an elderly couple and their teenage domestic worker, whose bodies were recovered with their throats slit from a house in Sylhet city’s Raynagar area.

The deceased were identified as businessman MA Sattar, 82, his wife Suraiya Begum, 72, and their 15-year-old domestic worker Tahmina, a resident of Jallarpar in the city.

The murders reportedly took place on the second floor of House No. 111 in the Mitali Residential Area during a power outage from 9am to 10:30am on August 11. The area is covered by CCTV cameras, while the house also had its own surveillance system. However, no footage was recorded during the outage.

Neighbours became suspicious after the door of the house remained closed and did not open until around 10am. They later noticed blood coming from underneath the door and informed police.

Police said the bodies of Suraiya and Tahmina were found in one room, while Sattar’s body was recovered from another room.

Md Manjurul Alam, media officer and additional deputy commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), said the initial investigation suggested that the three victims had been killed in a planned manner by slitting their throats.

SMP Commissioner Sarwar Morshed Shamim said police were alerted after neighbours reported that the door was locked and blood was coming from underneath it. A police team went to the house, opened the door and secured the crime scene.

Teams from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have also joined the investigation. Police have formed a special team to determine the motive and identify those responsible.

According to the police commissioner, tenants in the building reported hearing screams in the morning, indicating that the murders may have occurred during that period.

No murder weapon has been recovered from the scene so far, and investigators are working to determine what weapon was used. The bodies will be sent to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for autopsy after completion of the necessary legal procedures.

Investigators are examining whether the power outage was deliberately exploited by the killers. One possibility being considered is that suspects monitoring the area’s load-shedding schedule used the temporary loss of CCTV coverage to carry out the killings.

Police are also investigating a possible dispute involving a former tenant. According to sources close to the investigation, Sattar had reportedly been in conflict with a ground-floor tenant over the past month. The tenant, who was allegedly involved in the land business, had reportedly failed to pay rent regularly and remained in the property for around six months before leaving last month.

Munna Mia, a nephew of the deceased couple, said the neighbourhood committee had previously taken action against the tenant. He said Sattar had sought help from the committee over the dispute, alleging that the tenant neither vacated the property nor paid rent properly.

Investigators are also looking into the whereabouts of another domestic worker who reportedly lived in the house. Security personnel in the neighbourhood said two domestic workers were employed there, but the other worker has not yet been located.

Sattar and his wife were among the earliest residents of the Mitali Residential Area. Sattar was a businessman and was also known locally as a longtime Awami League supporter, although he had reportedly remained inactive after activities of the party were banned.

Police said they are considering all possible motives and are working to determine whether the tenant dispute, the missing domestic worker or the planned use of the power outage has any connection to the triple murder.