Kolkata 'murders': Husbands of two deceased women likely to be arrested

Kolkata: The husbands of the two women whose bodies along with that of a girl were found in their Kolkata residence are likely to be arrested, a senior officer said.

The decision to apprehend the husbands, who were also siblings, was taken after post-mortem reports suggested that the two women and the girl were murdered, dismissing speculations that the three died by suicide.

The three members of the family were found dead inside their Tangra residence, while three others were injured after their car crashed into a Metro Rail pillar in the city on early Wednesday. One of the injured persons told the police about the deaths in their family.

Two brothers – Pranay and Prasun Dey – lived in that house in the eastern part of Kolkata with their wives Sudeshna and Romi, respectively. Pranay’s son and Prasun’s daughter were the other occupants of the house.

The three injured have been undergoing treatment in a hospital here.

"The brothers will be arrested once they are discharged from the hospital. We are in touch with the hospital authorities. One arrest will likely be made on Saturday," the officer told PTI.

One of the two brothers, whose condition has improved "enough to be discharged from the hospital" on Saturday, would likely be held during the day, he said.

The post-mortem reports raised questions about who was behind the crime, and the Kolkata Police sleuths have been trying to identify those involved and the motive behind the killing of the three, he said.

"We are trying to find out whether the husbands killed their wives and the girl or if others from outside the family were involved in the murders," the officer 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, he said.

The autopsy conducted on the bodies of the two women, with wrists slit and deep injury marks on their throats, suggested that they died due to the effect of the injuries which were "ante-mortem in nature". The minor girl died due to poisoning, the officer said.

"It seems that they (the brothers) were trying to mislead us. They were trying to hide something. We need to question them," he said.

The health conditions of the two brothers and the boy, who were injured in the accident, were stated to have improved, the policeman said.

The forensic team of Kolkata Police have collected samples from the bathroom, the washbasin, and rooms from where the bodies of the two women and the girl were found, the officer had said.

The police also collected footage of CCTVs installed in the Tangra house, he said, adding that "this footage will be very crucial to understand their activities before the crime occurred. We will be able to record who came to their house and what were their roles with the family in the last one week or so." Investigators of the Kolkata Police were trying to find out details of the route of the car that was involved in the accident on February 19, the officer said.

The police had seized a bunch of 12 keys, most of them were of their Tangra residence, one bloodstained blue button from the backseat of the car and several blood marks from inside the car, he added.

The sleuths have found that the family has a tannery business and has been in financial difficulties.