Mother, three daughters hacked to death in Lakshmipur

A mother and her three daughters were hacked to death in a brutal attack at a rented house in Godown Road area of Raipur upazila in Lakshmipur on Thursday morning. 

The suspected attacker, a street hawker Zahir Hossain, was caught and severely beaten by local residents following the attack. He was initially taken to Lakshmipur Sadar Hospital and later referred to Dhaka, but died on the way in the afternoon.

The deceased were Shahinur Begum, 38, her elder daughter Saima Akhter, 21, a student of Dhaka University, and her younger daughter Shifa Akhter, 9.  Shahinur's another daughter, Iqra Akhter, 17, a Class XII student of Raipur Kazi Farooqui College, sustained critical injuries and died on the way to Dhaka for advanced treatment.

According to police and local sources, Shahinur had been living in the rented house with her children for several years after her husband, Kamal Hossain, died from electrocution in 2019 after coming into contact with a live wire lying on a road in Keroa village. The family originally hailed from Cumilla district. Saima was a student of Dhaka University, while Iqra studied at Raipur Kazi Farooqui College.

Witnesses said a young man entered the house in the morning and attacked Shahinur and her daughters with a sharp weapon. Hearing screams, locals rushed to the scene, caught the suspect and assaulted him before police arrived.

Raipur Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Baharul Alam said five injured people were brought to the hospital. “Three of them—the mother and two daughters—died from their injuries. Another daughter was referred to Dhaka in critical condition. All had severe sharp-weapon injuries on different parts of their bodies,” he said. He added that the suspected attacker also suffered serious injuries in the mob beating.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (Raipur Circle) Md Abdur Rashed confirmed the deaths and said an investigation was underway to determine the motive behind the attack. He said the suspect died while being taken for advanced treatment. During efforts to control the situation, seven police personnel were injured when agitated locals hurled bricks and stones at law enforcers.

Police said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the killings and whether any other individuals were involved.