‘Rarest Of Rare': Malda Youth Who Killed 4 Of Family In ‘Water Coffins' Sentenced To Death
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According to Arif, the only surviving member, he lost consciousness after lunch and woke up inside a coffin-like box, partially submerged in water, with his hands and legs bound
Calling the sensational 2021 coffin killings 'rarest of rare", the district and sessions court in Malda awarded death penalty to Asif Mohammed, 23, for killing four members of his family.
The verdict was delivered by Malda District and Sessions Judge Shubhayu Bandopadhyay.
Asif was found guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. The court ruled that the case qualified as the 'rarest of rare", warranting capital punishment.
THE CRIME: A CHILLING AFTERNOON IN 2021
The crime took place on February 28, 2021, at the family's home in Malda. The family – Asif's father, mother, grandmother, sister, and elder brother Arif — were having lunch. Asif sat separately and later asked his mother to bring him a soft drink, which he claimed he would drink upstairs.
According to Arif, the only surviving family member, he lost consciousness after lunch and later woke up in a horrifying scene – inside a coffin-like box, partially submerged in water, with his hands, legs, and waist bound with cello tape. He soon realised he was not alone. Four other water-filled coffins lay beside him, each containing the lifeless body of a family member.
The room, as later discovered, was a secret chamber built by Asif in a newly constructed house adjacent to their old home. It was fitted with pipes continuously pouring water into each coffin, essentially turning them into instruments of drowning.
Arif described how he regained consciousness and found Asif standing next to him. When he tried to lift his head, Asif pounced on him, attempted to drown him, and punched, bit, and tried to strangle him. After a violent struggle, Arif managed to break free, grab Asif by the hair, and escape through a hole in the wall into their old house.
There, he confronted Asif, demanding to know why he had killed their family. Asif reportedly replied, 'Being part of the family was a mistake. You all would have been obstacles to my future." He also warned that the house was under surveillance and rigged with bombs.
DISCOVERY OF THE BODIES
Despite Arif's escape, it took nearly three months before police recovered the bodies. On June 19, 2021, acting on Arif's formal complaint, authorities exhumed the mummified remains of the victims from the kitchen floor of the newly constructed house. Investigators also recovered sophisticated computer equipment and lakhs of rupees in cash, allegedly linked to Asif's planning and activities on the dark web.
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S STATEMENT
Speaking to News18, public prosecutor Bibhas Chatterjee described the case as 'deeply disturbing and an example of modern-day moral decay."
'This was a rarest of the rare case. Asif murdered his entire family in a premeditated and brutal manner and showed no remorse. He even admitted it was a 'mistake'. He belongs to a generation so obsessed with gadgets and virtual life that he planned and executed a mass murder based on information sourced from the dark web," Chatterjee said.
'He turned a hidden room into a water-filled reservoir of death, using coffins as tools of murder. This verdict sets an important precedent for society."
First Published:
May 18, 2025, 11:48 IST
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