Preliminary police investigations into the Kasba family deaths in Kolkata, supported by initial post-mortem examinations, suggested that the couple died by suicide. However, the exact circumstances surrounding their son’s death remained unclear, particularly regarding which parent was responsible for the child’s death.
The police Thursday claimed that the husband, Somnath Roy, had a property dispute with a family member over a six-katha (1 katha is 720 square feet) plot. They also said he had taken a Rs 10 lakh loan for his son’s treatment. The police have arrested one Chanchal Mukhopadhyay who had allegedly arranged a loan of Rs 10 lakh from Punjab National Bank. So far, three people have been arrested in the case.
The deceased, Somnath Roy, his wife Sumitra Roy, and their two-and-a-half-year-old son were found dead in their locked house Tuesday morning.
A purported suicide note scrawled on the wall of the house named five people, including two relatives Pradip Kumar Ghosh and Nilima Ghoshal, who have since been arrested.
“The primary post-mortem report reveals the child has abrasion over the root and bridge of the nose and bruises over the lower and upper lip. The child died due to the effects of asphyxia (smothering), homicidal, antemortem in nature,” said an official, confirming that the boy was murdered by smothering.
As per the police, the post-mortem of both Sumitra and Somnath suggested suicide. The police are now focusing on the motive behind the act, with financial strain emerging as a likely factor. “While the exact motive of the death is yet to be ascertained, the investigators believe financial strain may have driven Somnath Roy to this extreme act,” a source close to the investigation revealed.
The police registered two separate FIRs. The first, filed by Sumitra Roy’s sister, Suparna Bhowmick, 29, names Pradip Kumar Ghosh and Nilima Ghoshal. “A case has been registered under sections 108/3(5) (abetment of suicide), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 318(4) (cheating), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” said an official.
“A second complaint has been filed by Sumitra’s father, Biswanath Bhowmick, 55, under section 103 (1)/3(5) (murder) of the BNS, but does not name any specific individuals,” the police said.