Malda, West Bengal | June 12, 2025 — In a chilling case that shocked the nation, the Malda District Court has sentenced Mohammad Asif to death for the cold-blooded murder of four members of his own family in the Kaliachak police station area, driven by greed for ancestral property.
The gruesome crime occurred on February 28, 2021, when Asif, then a resident of Malda district, laced his family members’ food with sleeping pills and strangled to death his father, mother, sister, and grandmother. In a horrifying twist, he also attempted to murder his grandfather, Arif, who survived the attempt and would later become the key complainant in the case.
After committing the heinous murders, Asif buried the bodies of his closest family members in the warehouse of his newly constructed home, where he continued to live alone for nearly three months, concealing the crime in a disturbing show of calm and premeditation.
It wasn’t until June 19, 2021, nearly four months after the murders, that Arif lodged a formal complaint, prompting an investigation that led to the recovery of the decomposed remains from the warehouse floor.
The investigation was meticulously led in different phases by Sub-Inspectors Sirajuddin Sarkar, Rakesh Biswas, and Pavitra Mahato, whose coordinated efforts ultimately uncovered the full scope of the crime.
The case proceeded under the scrutiny of District Government Counsel Mr. Bivas Chattopadhyay, and over a four-year trial, the court examined the testimonies of 19 witnesses, including the sole surviving grandfather.
On June 2025, District and Sessions Judge Shuvayu Banerjee delivered a historic judgment, finding Mohammad Asif guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC):
- Section 302 – Death sentence for the murder of four family members
- Section 307 – 10 years’ imprisonment and ₹10,000 fine for attempt to murder
- Section 201 – 7 years’ imprisonment and ₹10,000 fine for destruction of evidence
This rare and deeply disturbing case has drawn national attention for both the brutality of the act and the commitment of the law enforcement and judicial machinery in bringing the perpetrator to justice.
Officials, legal experts, and citizens have commended the Kaliachak Police, especially the investigating officers and prosecutor Bivas Chattopadhyay, for their unwavering pursuit of justice in a case that will be remembered as one of Malda’s darkest crimes.
“Justice has been served. It is a victory for the victims and the society at large,” a senior police officer remarked.
