The relatives of Rizwanur Rahman, whose mysterious death following his marriage to a Hindu girl triggered a public outcry, have claimed that they are surprised by the media reports that people known to them had taken money to separate the couple.

"We really don't know if anyone was involved in separating Rizwanur and Priyanka after their marriage. We knocked the door of the Calcutta High Court only to get justice. Now the investigation is underway and the Central Bureau of Investigation would take appropriate action after considering all aspects of the case," Rizwanur's brother Rukbanur Rahman said.

The rumour of a payoff is doing the rounds in the local media. It has been alleged that Ashok Todi, father of Rizwanur's widow Priyanka, paid Rs.1.1 million to the youth's family friend Syed Mohiuddin alias Pappu to separate the couple. The rumour has it that Pappu, who runs an NGO called PEACE, was instrumental in sending Priyanka back home.

According to newspaper reports, Ashok Todi reportedly told CBI about Pappu's role in the case. The Todis have alleged that they also paid Rizwanur's uncle Saidur Rahman. A section of the media reported that the deal was struck after Pappu assured the Todis that Priyanka would return to her father's house. "I asked Pappu for help as he is a very resourceful person and our family friend as well. I told him about the harassment by police but I never thought that he could do such things behind our backs. Still I don't believe he was involved in such a dirty deal, said Rukbanur.

"It can also be another attempt to malign my family and friends by the Todis as they had earlier accused us of taking money to separate Rizwanur and Priyanka. My uncle Saidur has denied that he had ever taken money from the Todis. But if he is guilty, he should also be punished," he said, adding that they are not going to take any legal action following Todi's allegation that they took money to separate the couple.

"If Todi’s allegation is incorrect, the CBI would take action for that. Now I would not comment on it since the investigation is on," Rukbanur said. The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI inquiry into Rizwanur's death on October 16, terming the CID’s initial probe as ‘illegal’.