A woman and her son and daughter were beaten to death in Cumilla鈥檚 Muradnagar upazila on Thursday morning, allegedly for their involvement in drug dealing.
The deceased were identified as Rokhsana Akhter alias Ruby, 53, her son Rasel Mia, 35, and daughter Jonaki Akhter, 25.
Rokhsana鈥檚 other daughter, Ruma Akhter, 30, was critically injured in the attack, said Mahfuzur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the Bangora Bazar police station.
The incident took place between 9:00am and 10:00am on Thursday in Muradnagar upazila鈥檚聽 Koraibari village under the police station, OC Mahfuzur said.
He said that the family had long been accused of involvement in drug dealing and initial findings suggested that local residents killed them out of rage.
鈥榃e reached the spot in the morning after receiving reports and found three聽 bodies lying there. We rescued another person injured in the mob attack,鈥� the OC said.
The bodies were sent to Cumilla Medical College Hospital for autopsy while the injured was first sent to Muradnagar Upazila Health Complex and later referred to Cumilla Medical College Hospital, he said.
The police official said that multiple cases over drug trade had been reported against the three deceased and the injured in different police stations.
No case was filed over the deaths and the injury yet, the OC said, adding that the police were investigating the incident.
Muradnagar came in spotlight after a Hindu woman was raped in her father鈥檚 home in Ramchandrapur Panchkitta village of the upazila on July 26 night.
According to rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra report, 78 individuals were beaten to death in the first five months of this year.
At least 128 individuals were lynched in 2024, 51 in 2023 and 36 in 2022, according to a ASK report.
Meanwhile, ASK and Manabadhikar Sanskriti Foundation in separate statements on Thursday condemned the incident and demanded bringing to law those involved in the lynching.
