Bangladesh: Hindu businessman, 4 family members go missing amid threats

A Hindu businessman and four members of his family have been missing from Bangladesh's Chandpur district since August 20, with police investigating reports that he had received threats, according to local media reports.Pintu Das, who runs a shop and is also involved in lending money against gold jewellery, went missing along with his wife, two teenage sons and another family member, bdnews.com reported, citing police."I have learned that Pintu Das and four members of his family have been missing since August 20," Chandpur Model Police Station officer-in-charge Foyez Ahmed said, according to news agency PTI.Ahmed said there were allegations that several people had not received their gold back after pledging jewellery with Das. However, he said the circumstances surrounding the family's disappearance were still being investigated."We will only be able to confirm after the investigation if Pintu Das and his family members have gone into hiding voluntarily or if something else has happened to them," Ahmed said.Upama Dey, Chandpur chapter leader of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (HBCUC) and Das' cousin, said he disappeared from his rented house in Chandpur along with his wife and two sons, who are Class 10 students."We have heard that he received threats as he was under a burden with debt," she said, adding that Das' ancestral home is in southeastern Chattogram.The disappearance comes amid renewed concerns over the safety of Bangladesh's Hindu minority following the killing of a Hindu family in Rangpur last week.Four-member Hindu family killed in RangpurA retired Hindu schoolteacher, his wife and their two children were found dead inside their locked home in Rangpur last week. The victims were identified as 65-year-old Ganapati Chakraborty, his wife Pritilata, 50, their daughter Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23, and their 12-year-old son Priyam Chakraborty.Police arrested two suspects, identified as Mugdha and Siddhartha, in connection with the killings. Investigators said the suspects allegedly entered the house to take yaba and killed the family after Ganapati confronted them.Police said the suspects remained inside the house after the killings and later scattered furniture, clothes and other belongings to make the incident appear like a robbery.The suspects allegedly left the house on Friday during Jummah prayers, when the streets were relatively empty, local media reported.Police said gold jewellery allegedly taken from the house was later recovered from a location identified by the suspects. Date pits found at the scene were also sent for DNA testing.The bodies were recovered from different parts of the house. Police said the mother and daughter were found on the staircase, Ganapati's body was found on the roof and Priyam's body was recovered from under a bed.Subir Chowdhury, in-charge of Rangpur Metropolitan CID, said, "The household belongings were found scattered and in disarray. For now, it appears to be a robbery. However, nothing can be confirmed until the investigation is completed."The police account has, however, faced questions from minority rights activists, relatives and local residents. The investigation was subsequently transferred to the specialised detective branch."We are watching the developments. But it remains a big question how two alleged drug addicts could kill four people and give the house a look of a robbery scene in such a meticulous manner?," a leader of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council said.The latest incidents have renewed concerns over attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh.According to a report by the US-based Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM), there were 824 verified incidents of human rights abuses, including 116 targeted killings, across 63 of Bangladesh's 64 districts during the first half of 2026.The report also cited attacks on 142 temples, looting of 209 homes and businesses, and 73 cases of forced land grabbing involving religious minorities.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.