2 die after 5 members of UK expat family found unconscious in Sylhet house

Two members of a UK expatriate family died at a hospital in Sylhet after five members of the family were found unconscious at rented house in Osmaninagar upazila of the district Tuesday morning, said police.

The deceased were identified as Rafiqul Islam, 50, and his 16-year-old son Mahikul Islam.

Rafiqul Islam’s wife Hosne Ara Begum, 45, his son Sadiqul Islam, 25 and daughter Samira Islam, 20, are undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU) of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College and Hospital (SOMCH).

According to the locals, the family came to the country from the United Kingdom on July 12. All of the victims are British citizens.

After staying in Dhaka for six days, they rented the house in Tajpur of the upazila on July 18.

One of their sons was sick and the family rented the flat to facilitate his treatment. Rafiqul Islam’s in-laws lived in the same building.

Additional Superintendent of Sylhet Police MD Lutfar Rahman said they rescued the five people in unconscious condition from a house on Mangalchandi road in Tajpur Bazar around 11:30 am after receiving a call from the National Emergency Service 999.

They were rushed to SOMCH where the father and the son died around 2pm, said the official.

SOMCH Director Brigadier General Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan said that the bodies were kept at the hospital morgue.

Besides, a medical Board has been formed headed by Professor Shishir Ranjan Chakraborty  for the treatment of three others as their condition is very critical, he added.

Superintendent of District Police Farid Uddin said they might have died due to food poisoning. “An investigation is on in this regard.”

After discussing the overall situation with the doctors and inspecting the scene, we believe this may have been a case of poisoning,” he said.

“The other people in the building are close relatives of the victims. We questioned them. At the moment, we believe they fell asleep after dinner last night. This must be investigated further. How were they poisoned? How did they die? We will be able to confirm after an investigation.”

“But, at first glance, it looks like murder using poison,” he added.

A team of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has also reached the spot to collect evidence.