Memari/Bongaon: Humayun kabirwho passed civil engineering from Jadavpur University in 2012, was extensively browsing jihadi literature on both his laptop and phone and wanted to flee to Bangladesh. Kabir, who was divorced last year, worked in Noida, where he lost his job five months ago. A day before he murdered his parents at their Memari home, the parents urged his sister, Tamanna Rehman, a Howrah-based schoolteacher, and neighbours to put some sense into Kabir’s mind and weed out extremist thoughts.Investigators also learned that Kabir had a troubled past. Described as stubborn, short-tempered, and obstinate by those who knew him, he reportedly became increasingly involved in radical ideologies in recent months. His personal life, after his divorce, also made him more dogmatic. His parents repeatedly warned him to stay away from such activities, leading to escalating tensions at home.
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Speaking to neighbours in Memari, it was learned that Kabir was married to a girl – a geography postgraduate – who did not support his dogmatic religious views. His wife’s parents stayed in Dubai for work. The marriage fell apart within a year. Kabir took his divorce badly. According to some locals, this started affecting his work. “Around five months ago, his father went to Noida and brought him back home after he lost his job,” a local said.Kabir, who was arrested on Wednesday for brutally murdering his elderly parents in Memari and attacking four teachers in a Bongaon orphanage, was remanded in police custody for three days by a Bongaon court. Special public prosecutor Samir Das told the court that police needed time to investigate Kabir’s “extremist links”.Kabir repeatedly said that he would go to “jannat”. He also claimed that his parents mistreated the poor, which is against Islam. However, police said, prima facie, his deep resentment against his parents was due to their repeated attempts to reform him. Kabir also started to believe his parents were not following the faith.Investigators said he chose the Hafizia Kharizia Orphanage Madrasa for its proximity to the Indo-Bangladesh border, which is only six kilometres away. Police discovered that Kabir asked for directions to the India-Bangladesh border after arriving at Bongaon station, indicating a possible plan to escape into Bangladesh after the attack.According to cops, the knife he used to murder his parents and attack the teachers in the madrasa was purchased from an e-commerce platform. On Tuesday, locals claimed he was seen moving around with the knife. East Burdwan SP Sayak Das did not immediately comment on the ongoing probe. “After questioning Kabir, we will be able to know about certain things. Police are collecting inputs from different sources. During interrogation, such details will be verified,” he said.
