Teen Allegedly Kills 4 Family Members, Hides Bodies In Basement For 4 Months

A teen boy who is accused of murdering four of his family members and hiding their dead bodies inside the basement of his house for four months was detained Saturday, police said.

The 19-year-old suspect identified as Asif from the eastern Indian state of West Bengal has been taken into custody on charges of murder after the police found four decomposing bodies from his house.

The police have identified the deceased victims as Asif's parents Jawad Ali, 53, and Ira Biwi 36, his sister Rima, 16, and his 73-year-old grandmother Alek Nur Bewa, Times of India reported.

The investigators believe Asif drugged and drowned the victims to death after an alleged dispute with them for money. After the murders, Asif has reportedly convinced the neighbors that the family has been away in the city of Kolkata.

Although the murders were believed to be executed in February, they came to light only last Friday. Asif's elder brother Arif who claims to have escaped his brother's attack walked into a police station Friday, almost four months after the incident, and narrated the ordeal.

Based on Arif's complaint, police started an investigation and made the grisly discovery.

According to the investigators, Asif turned abusive to his parents and decided to kill the family members after his father refused to will the entire property in his name. A relative of Asif told the officers that he would often demand money from his father for buying expensive gadgets.

Arif said that his brother had spiked their drinks with sleeping pills on Feb. 28, 2021. The victims were then reportedly tied up and mouth taped. However, Arif managed to escape when the effect of the drug weaned off while the other members were drowned in a well. The victims were reportedly pushed into the well and the bodies were pulled out after their deaths, news outlet Sambad English reported.

Meanwhile, it is unclear why Arif did not try to rescue the victims or report the incident earlier to the police.

The bodies were found dumped under a mound of soil and bricks in the basement of the house. "We have recovered the bodies along with a bottle of soft drink. The decomposed corpses still had their hands tied and mouths taped," Alok Rajoria, Superindent of Police said, as reported by Times of India.

The police are also investigating the possibility of Asif's links to any terrorist activities as they discovered a large collection of arms and ammunition from two of his friends.