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Man attacks four kids with sickle, killing 3 in West Bengal’s Murshidabad; arrested
The accused fled the village after the incident but later surrendered at the local police station.
Police have recovered prescriptions and medications from his room, with his father claiming that he was undergoing psychiatric treatment in Berhampore for a long time. (Express file photo)
A 20-year-old man allegedly attacked four girls with a sickle, killing three of them and injuring the other in Murshidabad district on Friday, police said, adding that the accused was arrested after he surrendered later.
According to police, the incident took place in Raghunathpur village, under the jurisdiction of Suti Police Station.
The accused, identified as Golam Sarwar alias Badsha (20), reportedly took his minor niece into a room on Thursday afternoon. When three of her playmates peeped through the door, he allegedly launched a sudden, brutal attack on all four children with a sharp sickle, police said.
Alarmed by the children’s frantic screams, family members and neighbours rushed to the scene and rushed the victims, aged between 4 and 12 years, to Mahesail Hospital, where one girl was declared dead, police said.
The remaining three were subsequently transferred to Jangipur Sub-divisional Hospital, where two more succumbed to injuries. According to local sources, two of the deceased were sisters, while the third was their cousin. The fourth child, who is 6 years old, sustained severe head, hand, and back injuries. She was transferred from Jangipur to Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Berhampore, where she remains in critical condition in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
The accused fled the village after the incident but later surrendered at the local police station, officers said.
Police have recovered prescriptions and medications from his room, with his father claiming that he was undergoing psychiatric treatment in Berhampore for a long time.
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Preliminary investigations have revealed that he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the attack, police said, adding the probe so far has not substantiated allegations of attempted sexual assault.
Murshidabad District Superintendent of Police, Sachin Makkar said that the accused was produced before the court on Friday.
“The accused launched the attack and then surrendered. A police investigation is underway to ascertain the motive. Subject to the court’s permission, assistance from mental health experts may also be sought,” Makkar said.
Police said they have recovered records indicating he was undergoing treatment for mental health issues. They are probing other angles, including potential personal or family feuds, or if the attack was an impulsive attempt to cover up another crime.
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The bodies of the deceased have been sent for a post-mortem examination, police added.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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