"Four men came here in the evening and one talked to madam (Sabera Begum Baby) over intercom before going upstairs," a police officer quoted a staff of the apartment building as saying. "We didn't see them come out."

In the FIR (first information report), Sabera's husband Shamsul Alam Mia said his wife and daughter Sharmin Alam Shampa were killed as a sequel to 'some events at the school'. The double murders were committed in connivance with the caretaker, security guards and part-time domestic helps Bilkis and Fatema, he added.

Bilkis and Fatema were nabbed from Kalachandpur in Badda yesterday evening. Police also arrested caretaker of the house Omar Faruq and security guards Johor Lal and Jahangir. They will be produced before a court today.

Police earlier said the murder took place sometime between 1:45am and 2:15am Friday, but evidence suggests it was between 8:30pm to 9:00pm Thursday.

Shamsul who was in Chittagong called his wife and daughter several times after 9:00pm. But no-one received or returned his calls.

On the other hand, Sharmin phoned one of her friends at 8:30pm.

Sabera and Sharmin were buried at a family graveyard on Road No. 9 in Baridhara yesterday.

Police suspect Sabera's hostility with a few members of her school's governing body was the motive. But intelligence men do not rule out the possibility that Sharmin's 'enemies' might kill them.

The case was yesterday transferred to Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is yet to receive a case docket.

STAFF'S STATEMENT MISMATCH
Johor called his colleague Jahangir, caretaker Faruq and Dhanesh, a driver of singer Syed Abdul Hadi, who lives in the same building, just after he came under attack at around 1:45am. But Dhanesh said he was not bleeding although he suffered major injury.

Johor said the killers hit him from behind but Faruq claimed he was attacked when he and other staff tried to stop them.

Dhanesh told The Daily Star that after they had learnt Johor was attacked, Faruq rushed upwards, detected the killings, and they all went to Hadi's house. Hadi also said he called Gulshan police when the staff informed him about the killings.

However, while talking to The Daily Star Friday, Faruq denied his going upstairs before arrival of police, saying the law enforcers first discovered the bodies.

FIR

"Former governing body member Nurul Islam had forced my wife at gunpoint to resign," Shamsul said in the FIR filed with Gulshan Police Station Friday night.

"Abul Bashar was promoted to the headmaster and tried for a second term but failed," said the FIR. He held Sabera responsible for his failure and falsely implicated her in a case.

THE CONFLICT
A few members of the governing body forced Sabera to resign on January 22, 2000. She filed a case but police submitted a final report as no-one gave statement for her.

Sabera filed another case and was reinstated on August 18, 2002 with intervention of the deputy commissioner's office, as the court verdict went in her favour, sources said.

Different sources corroborated the fact that five of the 10-member governing body including two teachers opposed her, as she did not support their irregularities in recruiting teachers.

Fourteen teachers were appointed during her absence and Sabera, after her reinstatement, took steps to cancel the appointments, which were underway.

She also opposed awarding construction of a new two-storey building to a contractor backed by two influential members, several sources said.

Police also found a file on teachers' appointment and tender of the construction on Sabera's bed.

"I think the killers went there to kill Sabera but also killed her daughter, who intervened, possibly to save her mother," Deputy Commissioner Golam Rasul told The Daily Star yesterday.

Many of Sabera's students and colleagues went to the school yesterday hearing the news. They hoisted a black flag on the school premises. Milad mahfils will be held at the school today and tomorrow.