A 45-year-old trader was hacked to death by goons in KBS-Chhotokamat, a village under the jurisdiction of Baishnabnagar police station in Malda, on Sunday
night.
Senior police officials, including Faizal Raza, the subdivisional police officer of Kaliachak, arrived at the crime scene with a large team and initiated an investigation.
Three people were detained in connection with the murder.
The victim, Ataur Rahman, sold towels and garments from makeshift stalls at local markets.
He is survived by his wife, Nasima Bibi, and their three minor children.
Nasima told police that her husband was sleeping and she was watching television with the children in another room.
“Around midnight, I heard noises from the adjoining room. When I rushed out,
I found the door bolted from the outside and heard my husband crying in pain. After opening the door, I found him lying on the floor in a pool of blood,”
she said.
As she raised an alarm, some locals rushed to the house and informed the police.
The body was later sent to Malda Medical College & Hospital for a post-mortem.
The victim’s wife alleged that around a fortnight ago, they had a dispute with their neighbours, Irfan Sheikh and Nazrul Sheikh, over a minor issue related to children’s games. Their argument escalated into a physical altercation.
“We suspect the murder was carried out as an act of revenge,” she said.
The incident has sparked panic in the village.
Police said they are yet to know whether the attackers broke in through a thin tin door on the roof to access the room unnoticed.
Senior police officers said they are interrogating the trio.
“We have started a detailed investigation. CCTV footage from nearby areas is also being examined to reconstruct the sequence of events,” said Avijit Banerjee, SP, Malda.