A week after the murder of two women and a minor girl in Kolkata’s Tangra area, the minor boy of the Dey family on Thursday reportedly in a statement to child rights panel alleged that his “uncle Prasun Dey killed his mother, aunt and cousin and that he had tried to kill the boy also, but he resisted.”
Ananya Chakraborti Chatterjee, advisor of West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights, who met the child at the NRS Hospital, Kolkata said that the 14-year-old boy is “in a state of shock”.
“He is in a state of shock, the business had failed. He said that his family was trying to figure out how to manage things. All the family members consumed porridge mixed with sleeping pills, my uncle executed it. He also said that his uncle tried to kill him by smothering, but he survived since because of regular yoga practice he was able to hold his breath,” she said.
Pranay Dey, his younger brother Prasun, and Pranay’s minor son were injured when their car crashed into a pillar near Abhishikta More on Kolkata’s EM Bypass on February 19 morning. Prasun’s wife Sudeshna Dey, Pranay’s wife Romi Dey, and Prasun’s minor daughter were found dead soon after at their Tangra residence.
According to police sources, over 48 hours have passed since the three survivors were discharged from the private healthcare facility and moved to the state-run Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital (NRSMCH).
While the three survivors are now in better health, they still need basic medical care, an official said.
An officer of Kolkata Police said that the Dey family’s Tangra house has been sealed for investigation, and “none of their relatives have extended help, none of them are ready to keep Deys.”
Additionally, the authorities are focussed on providing the necessary support to the minor boy who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. “We will try if any of their relatives are willing to take custody of the child as per legal procedure,” Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma said.
“It is a murder case and the accused, the two brothers will eventually be arrested. Their house, which was the place of occurrence, hence it is very tough to figure out where to send the minor child as his future looms uncertain,” said an official.
The Kolkata Police has held two brothers responsible for the murders of their wives and a teenage girl. No outsiders were involved, said Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma earlier this week, adding that the motive behind the murders is likely related to their business.
“We are pretty sure that the two brothers are behind the crime and there is no involvement of any outsider. They have told us how the entire incident took place. But we need expert opinions to verify and confirm that. At this stage, we are not saying what specific roles they played,” the police commissioner had said.
The brothers had, earlier, claimed to the police that there was a suicide pact among the family members following which all consumed porridge laced with sleeping pills, the officer said. The police came to know about the deaths in the house from one of the three injured occupants of the car. They have found that the family, which used to operate a tannery business, was in financial difficulties.
“The motive behind the murder is likely related to their business,” Verma said, adding that the brothers, undergoing treatment at the NRS Medical College and Hospital, would face legal consequences.