A disturbing incident has been reported in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar. A man named Firdaus Alam has been arrested by the police on murder charges. During the investigation, the Dinhata Police found that the murder of an old man was carried out with cannibalistic intent. The incident unfolded at Thoraikhana village in Dinhata.
On Saturday (10th January), a fair was being held near the village, keeping most of the villagers busy. The accused Firdaus Alam took advantage of this opportunity to commit the crime. The deceased victim was an elderly man who had been living in a destitute condition for nearly a year near a cremation ground located some distance from the village.
The police said that while in an intoxicated state, the accused, Firdaus Alam, repeatedly attacked the elderly man’s neck and throat with a sharp-edged weapon, killing him on the spot. As if the murder was not brutal enough, Alam carried the dead body to a nearby tubewell, washed off the blood, and then hid it on the bank of a pond to wash and eat the flesh.
However, before the accused could proceed with his cannibalistic plans, local villagers found the body lying near the pond on Saturday. The dead body’s discovery triggered panic in the locality.
Upon receiving the information, Dinhata SDPO Dhiman Mitra, Sahebganj Police Station in-charge Ajit Shah, and Nayarhat outpost in-charge Himadri Ghosh arrived at the spot with police forces. The body was taken into custody, and a post-mortem examination was conducted. The postmortem report revealed deep cuts on the back of the neck and throat.
After the investigation, the police arrested Firdaus Alam. Although the accused has no previous criminal record, he is reported to be a drug addict and has been admitted to de-addiction centres in the past.
“Though the accused had undergone multiple rounds of rehab, no previous criminal cases had been registered against him. We are stunned by this rare incident of cannibalism. Interrogation is ongoing to determine the full motive and background,” the police said, adding that further investigation into the matter is underway.
