New Jalpaiguri: Cops probe mystery murders of woman, 10-year-old daughter

The New Jalpaiguri police are investigating the murders of a woman and her 10-year-old daughter, who were found dead under mysterious circumstances at their home in South Colony early Thursday. Police said that the woman’s husband, who is recovering from injuries at a private nursing home, would be “examined”, and their 4-year-old son was found sleeping inside their home when the bodies were discovered. Valuables kept in the house were found intact, and the main door was locked from inside, they added.

Sources said that on Thursday morning, residents of the area spotted Abhinandan Saha, a businessman, screaming from his balcony that some people had entered his house and attacked his family. They hurriedly helped him climb down a pipe. He allegedly had blood stains on his clothes, and some minor injuries, and told the locals that miscreants had entered his home and attacked them. The locals informed the police. By the time they reached the spot, Abhinandan had been taken to North Bengal Medical College, and subsequently shifted to a nursing home.
On finding the main door locked, police broke into the house and found Rina and Payal’s bodies lying in a pool of blood on the second floor, while the couple’s 4-year-old son Kaushik was found sleeping in another room.

“Saha runs a grocery store on the first floor of his house. One of his employees, who hails from Bihar, has been on leave since Saturday. Police are also looking for him to find out if he has any role in it,” said an official. Police sources said a sniffer dog had followed a trail to New Jalpaiguri station.

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“We have received a complaint on the basis of which a case has been initiated. We are taking the help of a forensic team as well. It is definitely not a murder for gain as more than Rs 4 lakh in cash and gold ornaments were untouched. We are probing from all possible angles. Abhinandan Saha too is being examined,” Niraj Kumar Singh, Siliguri Commissioner, told The Indian Express.

Police sources said the bodies have been sent for autopsy, and that they will also record the state of Kaushik, who survived the attack. Police are trying to determine from where outsiders could have entered the house and why Abhinandan had not raised an alarm earlier. “Prima facie, it was a smooth entry and exit for miscreants from the house,” said an official.