Agartala, Jun 11: A deadly love triangle involving a doctor’s obsession with his own cousin sister has claimed the life of a young electrician in Agartala, culminating in one of Tripura’s most disturbing murder cases, where the accused’s parents became active accomplices in disposing of the victim’s body in a deep freezer.
The deceased, identified as Shariful Islam (24), an electrician working on the Agartala Smart City project, was found stuffed inside a deep freezer at a shop in Gandacherra, Dhalai district, on Wednesday morning. It is learned that he had been missing since June 8, when he left home after receiving a phone call from his friend — the main accused in the case — Dr. Dibakar Saha (28).
Disclosing the chilling details during a press conference at the New Capital Complex Police Station, West Tripura District Superintendent of Police Dr. Kiran Kumar K said the investigation pointed to a premeditated crime driven by jealousy and romantic obsession.
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“The accused doctor was driven by jealousy and obsession over his cousin’s former relationship with the victim. To prove his love to her, he decided to eliminate his rival,” Dr. Kiran told reporters.
According to police, the woman at the centre of the triangle lives in Agartala’s Chandrapur area and had previously been in a relationship with Shariful before turning to Dr. Saha, who is her cousin.
Dr. Saha had completed his MBBS from Bangladesh and resides at a rented house in Agartala’s Bankumari area, although his family is based in Gandacherra.
As per the police investigation, the plan took shape two days before the murder, when Dr. Saha purchased a trolley bag — reportedly with the intent to use it for disposing of the body. On June 8, he called Shariful to the residence of co-accused Joydip Das (20), at South Indranagar’s Kabarkhola area, under the pretext of giving him a gift. Present at the location were two other accomplices: Animesh Yadav (21) and Nabanita Das (25).
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“At the designated location, Dr. Saha strangled Shariful to death,” Dr. Kiran stated. The body was initially hidden in the trolley and later shifted to the house of a woman identified as Mousami.
The following day, on June 9, Dr. Saha’s parents — Dipak Saha (52) and Debika Saha (48) — travelled from Gandacherra to Agartala in a Maruti Eeco van. “They helped their son transport the body back to Gandacherra and stored it in the freezer of their shop,” Dr. Kiran added.
Meanwhile, Shariful’s family, alarmed by his sudden disappearance, lodged a missing complaint at the New Capital Complex Police Station on June 9, reportedly naming Dr. Dibakar Saha as the last person who had contacted him. This tip became a key breakthrough in the case.
Following Dr. Saha’s arrest, police carried out repeated interrogations and extracted a confession, which led to the arrest of all six individuals on Tuesday night.
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A police team recovered Shariful’s body from the freezer on Wednesday morning in Gandacherra.
Dr. Kiran further confirmed that the six arrested include Dr. Dibakar Saha, his parents Dipak and Debika Saha, as well as Joydip Das, Animesh Yadav, and Nabanita Das.
The investigation is still underway.