On February 18, 2025, in Topsia, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, brothers Prasun Dey and Pranay Dey, along with Pranay's minor son (nephew), allegedly conspired to murder three female family members—Sudeshna Dey, Rumi Dey, and young Priyamvada Dey—inside their residence. Facing severe financial debt from their failing leather business while attempting to maintain an opulent lifestyle, the male members allegedly spiked porridge with sedatives. When Priyamvada suspected foul play and refused to eat, she was physically assaulted before being forced to consume the food. The suspects then slit the women's wrists and throats, placing their bodies on separate floors. Failing to execute their planned self-harm or suicide, the three male suspects locked the house, turned off all CCTV cameras, and fled in a car around 1:00 AM on February 19. At 3:35 AM, their car crashed into a metro pillar on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. Kolkata Traffic Police responding to the crash inspected the Dey residence, discovered the three bodies, and launched a murder investigation. Upon regaining consciousness in the hospital, the minor nephew reportedly confessed to the police, detailing his father's and uncle's roles in the murder conspiracy.
Country: India
State/Province: West Bengal, India
City/Region: Kolkata
Incident Type: Family Homicide
Relationship Status: Married
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Incident Date: Feb. 18, 2025
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2025-02-18
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English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Financial Conflict
The case represents a severe escalation of financial desperation and status anxiety within an affluent joint family household. When the family's leather business suffered significant financial losses, the male heads maintained a lavish spending lifestyle by accumulating heavy debt from multiple lenders. Rather than adjusting their living standard or confronting creditors, the male suspects plotted to eliminate the female family members to avoid debt repayment, poisoning and violently assaulting them before fleeing.
The case does not appear to be primarily relationship-driven in terms of romantic conflict or intimate partner disputes, but rather a financial debt and status preservation crisis within a joint family household. Kolkata Police and Traffic Police uncovered the crime scene after the male suspects crashed their vehicle into a metro pillar on the EM Bypass following the killings. All CCTV cameras in the residence were switched off prior to the murders. Post-mortem reports revealed sedative ingestion, blunt force physical violence against Priyamvada, and slashed wrists and throats on the adult female victims. The minor nephew confessed to police upon regaining consciousness at the hospital, implicating his father and uncle.
Initial rumors and media speculation suggested the deaths might be linked to black magic, occult practices, or a mutually agreed mass suicide pact. Furthermore, police initially questioned whether the car crash was a suicide attempt or an engineered escape attempt. Confusion was resolved when post-mortem findings confirmed physical beating and homicide, followed by the minor nephew's statement detailing the conspiracy.
On the evening of February 18, 2025, the Dey brothers and nephew prepared drugged porridge for the female family members. When young Priyamvada noticed something suspicious and refused to eat, she was severely beaten and forced to consume it. Once the women were sedated, the male suspects slit their wrists and throats, placing them on separate floors. The males then disabled the home's CCTV cameras, locked the house, and drove away around 1:00 AM on February 19. At 3:35 AM, they crashed into a metro pillar on the EM Bypass. Traffic police investigating the driver's residence discovered the lights off, knocked without answer, broke the door open, and discovered the three bodies.
Key risk indicators included severe unmanageable debt, social status anxiety, maintaining luxurious expenses while hiding business failure, and secretive decision-making within the household. The extreme willingness to assault and eliminate family members to avoid public financial disgrace represents an acute lethal risk pattern driven by reputation defense.
Extreme financial pressure combined with severe status preservation anxiety can lead to catastrophic internal family violence. Crime scene staging, turning off surveillance devices, and faking accidental or suicide scenarios are common attempts to evade financial accountability and criminal detection.
Neighbors noticed that the doorbell went unanswered at 5:30 PM on February 18, and all home lights were switched off by 7:30 PM, which was unusual for the active household.
CCTV footage from across the street showed the male suspects leaving the garage in their car at 12:52 AM. Subsequently, traffic police checking their address after the 3:35 AM car crash found the house locked in total darkness.
The post-mortem report showing physical assault marks on Priyamvada's lips/face, slashed wrists and throats, presence of sedatives in porridge, disabled home CCTV systems, and the minor nephew's direct statement upon regaining consciousness.
Neighbors reported ringing the doorbell at 5:30 PM with no answer from adults or children, and observing all lights extinguished by 7:30 PM. The hospitalized minor nephew told police upon waking that his uncle and father planned the murders to escape overwhelming debt and attempted to fake a suicide scenario.
Initial assumptions of an occult or black magic event or voluntary suicide pact were disproven after post-mortem reports confirmed violent assault and the nephew provided a full confession.
The specific breakdown of total accumulated debts, the exact extent of the minor nephew's physical participation in the slitting/poisoning, and whether the car crash was an intentional suicide attempt or an engineered escape mechanism.