Sylhet, Aug. 14 (V7N) — A property dispute has emerged as a possible new angle in the investigation into the triple murder in Sylhet’s Raynagar area, as investigators examine whether the killings were linked to a long-running land dispute or a personal relationship involving the household domestic worker.

The victims — 82-year-old businessman and former Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry director Md Abdus Sattar, his 76-year-old wife Suraiya Begum, and their 25-year-old domestic worker Tahmina — were found dead on the second floor of a house at Mitali 111 in the Rajbari area of Raynagar on Wednesday morning.

The incident has sparked widespread concern across Sylhet.

Police said they received information about the killings at around 9am on Wednesday and recovered the bodies from the residence. The bodies were later sent to the morgue of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for autopsies.

A man identified as Babul Mia was arrested at around 3:30pm the same day in connection with the killings.

According to police, the victims had injuries caused by a sharp weapon to their necks and different parts of their bodies. Bloodstains were found on walls and in several parts of a bathroom. Three wardrobes in Sattar’s room were also found ransacked.

Family members said some important documents were missing from the room. A copy of a property deed was also reportedly recovered from the floor.

Investigators are now examining whether the missing documents and a long-standing property dispute could be connected to the killings.

According to family sources and Sattar’s lawyer, Azizur Rahman Manik, Sattar had been involved in a legal dispute over a property in the Rikabibazar area of Sylhet. The property is reportedly associated with land belonging to the Police Line Lusai Church Association, where Sattar had obtained a lease and constructed a residence and other structures, including the site of the proposed Impas Tower.

Sattar filed a title suit over the property in 2023. The case, numbered 211/23, was followed by a civil revision petition filed by Sirajul Islam challenging a court order. Sattar was named as a defendant in that case, numbered 70/23.

A hearing in the civil revision case had been scheduled for Aug. 19.

Lawyer Azizur Rahman Manik said Sattar regularly appeared in court in connection with the dispute and had attended a hearing around two weeks before his death.

Abdur Razzaq, a central BNP official who knew Sattar, has also urged investigators to examine the property dispute as a possible motive. He said the killings may have been part of a planned attack targeting Sattar.

However, police are also investigating a possible personal relationship involving the domestic worker.

Sylhet Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (North) Mohammad Saiful Islam said investigators were considering multiple possible motives, including the property dispute. CCTV footage from the surrounding area and mobile phone data of people connected to the case were being analysed, he said.

Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sarwar Murshed Shamim, who visited the crime scene, said the three victims had been killed with a sharp weapon and confirmed that one person had been arrested.

He said police had initially received information suggesting that the killings could be linked to a personal relationship, but stressed that the investigation was still under way.

“We are investigating all possible motives. No conclusion has been reached yet,” police said in substance, indicating that the actual motive behind the killings has yet to be established.

Sattar was a former director of the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry and had previously been involved in the coal business. He was also an adviser to the Sylhet Metropolitan unit of the Awami League in Ward 19.

He and Suraiya had four children. Their son and one daughter live in the United States, while two daughters live in the United Kingdom. The family members were expected to return to Bangladesh, and their statements had not yet been obtained at the time of reporting.

Investigators are continuing to examine CCTV footage, mobile phone records, the missing documents and the property-related litigation as they seek to establish the motive behind the triple murder.

END/AKR/SMA/