"Adam is the best and human beings are above all. And here we declare that we must return after death," Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akhtaruzzaman quoted lines from a diary of one of those who ended it all, throwing themselves under an express train at Kashore, on the fringe of Mymensingh town.

The dead were identified as Hena Begum, 60, her daughters Mobi, 40, Aktari Begum, 35, Murshida, 30, and Shabnam, 10, sons Arif, 26,and Rahat, 18, and Mobi's son Mollah, 8 and daughter Mariam, 10.

One of the four diaries recovered from their house says that Hena's husband Anwar Hossain Fakir, who died in 2000, used to visit the house every night after their prayers, and called on them to meet him soon where eternal peace prevails, the ASP told the journalists.

"On the planet, we are the only family that is independent and self-dependent," reads the diary.

Locals and police believe that such a "bizarre" train of thoughts might have led the family to die the way they did. A grave dug in the yard beforehand and coffins at the ready indicate that they had it all planned immaculately.

Superintendent of Police in Mymensingh Rafiqul Islam said they have found books on science, economics, business administration, and novels in the house, but nothing on religion.

Rafiqul Alam Dulal, 70, a cousin of Hena, told the journalists that the family became estranged from its relatives immediately after Anwar Fakir had died. "We weren't even allowed to enter their house," he said.

Lima, a student of Ananda Mohan College and a neighbour of the Fakir family, said they would rarely come out of their house and whenever they had to, they would move together and speak to none.

Describing the incident as the most horrible he has ever seen, Banchu Ranjan Sarker, a construction worker who was at the spot, said that all the nine were sitting on the railway track and they did not waver in the face of deafening whistles from the train.

Banchu passed out as soon as the train thundered by, crushing them like an empty can.

Meanwhile, the post mortem of the bodies was done at the morgue of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) yesterday.

Earlier, railway police recovered the bodies from Kashore Itakhola and sent those to MMCH for autopsies.

An unnatural death case was filed with Jamalpur Railway Police Station in this connection.

Meanwhile, police sealed off the house of Anwar Hossain Fakir following orders from First Class Magistrate and Senior Assistant Commissioner ASM Mustafizur Rahman.

According to police, none came for the bodies till yesterday afternoon. If the bodies are not received by any of their relatives, those will be handed over to local municipality for burial.

If the municipality does not take the responsibility, they will look for other ways.