A twin murder rocked Phulbari on Thursday. A 30-year-old lady and her 10-year-old daughter were brutally murdered. Meanwhile, her 7-year-old son and husband had a narrow escape.
The incident occurred at Patkelgunj under the Phulbari Gram Panchayat 1 in the Jalpaiguri district. According to police sources, Avinandan Saha, a businessman shut shop and went to his residence at around midnight on Wednesday.
Saha runs a wholesale grocery shop in a two-storeyed building with his shop on the ground floor and living quarters on the floor above. At around 1.30 am, Saha's neighbours heard him scream for help. A large crowd gathered outside his house.
Saha was standing on the balcony stating that some people had murdered his family members and escaped. Saha even claimed that he had seized a chopper from the assailants. The neighbours urged him to come down. The police were also informed.
Saha then climbed down from the balcony onto the boundary wall and then to the ground floor. He held a chopper in his hand. He had injury marks on his head, face and legs.
Police forced open the main door of the house and entered. In the bedroom, the dead body of Rita Saha (30) and her daughter Payel (10) lay in a pool of blood on the floor. In an adjacent room, her 7-year-old son was found in a state of shock and trauma.
Saha has been admitted to a private nursing home in Siliguri. His son is in the care of relatives.
Police sources state that there are many unanswered questions. If Saha's story is to be believed then the motive behind the murder remains unexplained as the assailants did not touch the Rs five lakh cash and gold ornaments that was in the room.
It is also unexplained as to how they had entered the house. The CCTV footage of the building at the time of the alleged assault has not captured any outsiders. It is also unexplained as to how they escaped. The neighbours had not seen anyone come out of the house or climb down from the balcony (the route that Shah had taken).