Police officer held over shooting three dead in broad daylight in Kushtia

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) has been detained in Kushtia over a broad daylight shooting that left three people, including a child, dead on Sunday.

Police said the detainee claimed the victims included his wife and her son from a previous marriage.

The incident happened at around 11am at the ground floor of a market on the district town’s PTI Road near the highway to Jhenaidah.

Soon after the incident, a gun-toting man, later identified as ASI Soumen Kumar Roy, was nabbed by the locals and turned over to the police. 

The victims were identified as Shakil Khan, 35, Asma Khatun, 30, and Robin, 6.

Soumen, who is from Magura, is currently posted at the Fultala police station in Khulna, said Kushtia Model police station OC Sabbirul Islam.

“He claimed Asma to be his wife during questioning. Robin is Asma’s son from a previous marriage,” he told the media.

Police suspect that Asma may have been involved in a relationship or a financial transaction with Shakil, added OC Sabbirul.

Meanwhile, police in Khulna say that ASI Soumen travelled to Kushtia without any official authorization.

“Soumen was not on leave. We are checking whether the gun used in the shooting was his service pistol,” said Khulna Superintendent of Police (SP) Mahbub Hasan.

According to him, Soumen lives in Khulna’s Tajpur neighbourhood with his wife Lucky Roy and their two children.

“We have spoken to his wife to get an idea of what might have happened,” said SP Mahbub before adding that Soumen has been suspended.

Witnesses said that Soumen shot Asma, who was with her son at the ground floor of the market. He then shot Shakil. The child tried to escape, but Soumen caught him before shooting the boy dead.

Locals flocked to the market after hearing gunshots to find Asma and Shakil lying on the floor, while the boy was found near the entrance.

When a gun-wielding Soumen threatened the crowd by raising his weapon, people began attacking him with stones and brickbats.

Soumen then dropped his gun, and locals took him into custody before turning him over to the police.