Dhaka, Aug 24: Bangladesh police have arrested two young men in connection with the killing of a retired Hindu schoolteacher and three members of his family in Rangpur city.

Police said the duo planned and carried out the murders after the former Rangpur Zilla school teacher tried to prevent them from using yaba, a potent illicit methamphetamine-based drug, on the rooftop, according to local media reports.

The accused were identified as 23-year-old Siddhartha Das and 19-year-old Mugdha Das, both detained from the Dakhiganj cremation ground in the city. They allegedly ransacked the house to make the killings appear to be linked to a robbery.

The incident occurred on August 20, with police recovering the bodies of all four family members two days later, on Saturday night.

After the incident, the accused allegedly used the bathroom, ate dates from the table, and consumed yaba. They further allegedly soaked the mobile phones of Ganapati and Pritilata in washing-powder solution to wipe away fingerprints, according to police, Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune reported.

The deceased were identified as retired Rangpur Zilla School teacher Ganapati Chakraborty, 65; his wife, Pritilata Chakraborty, 50; their daughter, Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23; and their son, Priyam Chakraborty, 12.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mabud said that the suspects were allegedly consuming yaba on the rooftop of Ganapati’s house late Thursday night when the retired teacher went upstairs after hearing a noise.

Ganapati reportedly spotted the suspects consuming drugs and asked them to stop, following which they allegedly strangled him with a towel.

Hearing his screams, his wife, Pritilata, and daughter, Prarthi, rushed to the rooftop and were also allegedly strangled. The suspects then went inside the house and killed Priyam, the couple’s only son, in the same manner, the commissioner said. They allegedly stayed inside the house until Friday morning.

Following the brutal incident, hundreds of Rangpur Zilla School students on Sunday abstained from classes and staged a protest seeking the immediate arrest and capital punishment of those responsible for the killings.

The students marched to the offices of the Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the district administration and submitted separate memorandums demanding justice. They later staged a human chain and demonstration on the main road in front of the school, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Meanwhile, the leading minority human rights organisation Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council strongly condemned the brutal killing, calling for proper investigation and exemplary punishment for those responsible.

The incident comes amid escalating attacks on minorities across Bangladesh that have persisted since the tenure of the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and continue under the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration.

Tehran, Aug 24: A senior Iranian security official warned that the country will consider any state’s participation in or support for the US anti-Iran economic operation as an “act of war.”

In a social media post, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said, “If the economic war continues, not a single drop of oil will be exported, neither through the Strait of Hormuz nor from anywhere in the Persian Gulf. Iran will regard any country’s participation in or support for America’s economic war against the Iranian people as an act of war.”

His remarks came in response to recent comments made by US President Donald Trump, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a Wednesday post on Truth Social, Trump announced “the most crushing economic operation ever taken” against any country providing a lifeline to Iran.

“This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” he said, calling the move “an ECONOMIC D-DAY.”

Earlier, Rezaei warned that any country participating in the US economic war against Iran will be considered an “enemy” by Tehran.

Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, made the remarks on Saturday in an interview with state-run IRIB TV.

He said Iran would first negotiate with such countries and ask them to stay out of the conflict, but warned that if they refuse, Tehran will strike their interests, and that if surrounding countries choose to join the US siege, Iran “will not let even a single drop of oil be exported from the Strait of Hormuz.”

He noted that Iran has learned how to bypass US sanctions and continue oil sales over the years, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rezaei also repeated that the Hormuz Strait will remain closed unless the United States fulfills its commitments under the Iran-US peace memorandum of understanding signed in June, adding that Washington must act first this time.

On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon. Under the MoU, they were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, which ended on Monday, to reach a final agreement, but the fate of the talks remains unclear following the escalation between the two countries last month.

Tehran, Aug 24: Iran has announced that it has discovered more than 212 billion cubic metres of natural gas reserves in the southern Fars province.

Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad told state television on Sunday (local time) that more than 160 billion cubic metres of the gas could be extracted from the field, adding that authorities were taking urgent measures to begin its development as soon as possible.

He described the gas as “sweet” natural gas, meaning it contains very little hydrogen sulphide, a characteristic that could help reduce operating and development costs.

The announcement came as Iran’s energy sector continues to grapple with the impact of months of US-Israeli strikes on its infrastructure and extensive economic sanctions, reports Xinhua news agency.

Paknejad said the discovery would “serve as a very strong foundation for the country’s energy future.”

In a social media post, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said, “If the economic war continues, not a single drop of oil will be exported, neither through the Strait of Hormuz nor from anywhere in the Persian Gulf. Iran will regard any country’s participation in or support for America’s economic war against the Iranian people as an act of war.”

His remarks came in response to recent comments made by US President Donald Trump.

In a Wednesday post on Truth Social, Trump announced “the most crushing economic operation ever taken” against any country providing a lifeline to Iran.

“This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” he said, calling the move “an ECONOMIC D-DAY.”

On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts, including Lebanon. Under the MoU, they were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, which ended on Monday, to reach a final agreement, but the fate of the talks remains unclear following the escalation between the two countries last month.