Gruesome

ASI Shoumen Roy

A police official was arrested after shooting to death a woman, her seven-year-old son, and a man in broad daylight in Kushtia town yesterday.

The incident took place in Customs Junction area around 11:45am.

The victims are Asma Khatun, 27, her son Robin, and Shakil Khan, 34. All of them are from Naturia village of Kushtia's Kumarkhali upazila.

Shakil used to work in a Bkash agent's shop in the town. His father, Mesbah Rahman, filed a murder case with the Kushtia Model Police Station against assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police Shoumen Roy, said Officer-in-charge of the police station Sabbirul Alam.

Shoumen Roy, who was stationed in Khulna's Fultola Police Station, was arrested immediately after the incident.

Asma's family members said Shoumen had married Asma a few years ago, but police said they would share and confirm details after interrogating the accused. 

Asked, Mostafizur Rahman, additional superintendent of police in Kushtia, said police were interrogating Shoumen and details would be known after the interrogation.

Khulna's Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Mahbub Hasan said Shoumen already has a wife and child who live in Asba village of Magura's Sadar upazila, the ASI's village home.

Shoumen has been suspended, he said.

The SP said Shoumen left his work station to go to Kushtia without permission, and carried firearms without permission. So, two probe bodies, one under the Deputy Inspector General of Khulna range Mohid Uddin and the other under the Khulna SP, were formed to  investigate the matter.

Witnesses said Asma had gone to the spot with her child around 10:30am yesterday. Shakil arrived soon afterwards and they were seen talking near a roadside shop.

Then Shoumen went there and started quarrelling with Asma and Shakil, shouting and brandishing a firearm.

At one stage, he shot Asma in the head, leaving her dead on the spot. Then, he shot Shakil.

Frightened, seven-year-old Robin fled to a nearby mosque. But Shoumen dragged him out and shot him too, leaving him dead on the spot, said multiple witnesses.

Shoumen tried to flee as the locals gathered. They chased him and the ASI took shelter in a nearby building. The crowd surrounded the building until police arrived, said police and locals.

Police went to the spot and arrested Shoumen, said OC Sabbirul Alam.

Shakil was declared dead after locals took him to a nearby hospital.

Talking to The Daily Star, Asma's family members said she married around eight years ago, but divorced her husband around four years ago. The couple had one child, Robin.

After the divorce, Asma lived with her son at her father's residence in Naturia village.

Family members said Asma married Shoumen a few years ago but added that they did not have any marriage document.

Eventually, Asma rented a home in Kushtia town and started living there.

Her brother Hasan Ali said Shoumen used to pay the rent and alleged that Shoumen used to torture Asma.

The Daily Star correspondent talked to Asma's mother Hasina Banu at Kushtia General Hospital yesterday.

"In the morning, my daughter along with her son left the house, saying that Shoumen will take them to Khulna," said Hasina Banu.