A British dad and son found dead alongside unconscious family members in Bangladesh may have been murdered with poison, according to local police sources.
Police broke into a flat in the city of Sylhet, which is based in the country's east, where they found the father and son and three other family members unconscious.
Supt Farid Uddin said that Rafiqul Islam, 51, and his son Mahiqul, 16, tragically died before they reached the hospital.
Rafiqul's wife Husnara, 45, and daughter Samira, 20, are now fighting for their lives in hospital in critical condition.
The family's eldest son Sadiqul, 24, is being treated but did not provide more details about his condition.
The superintendent has revealed that officials suspect the family were poisoned, and they will know whether foul play was involved after an investigation.
He said: "After discussing the overall situation with the doctors and inspecting the scene, we believe this may have been a case of poisoning.
"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 told local media.
The family are British citizens from the Riverside area of Cardiff and travelled to Bangladesh this month, Wales Online reports.
Police have confirmed they came to Bangladesh on July 12 and that they moved into the flat where they were found on July 18.
District superintendent Uddin said it was believed the incident is a case of poisoning but an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
He said: "After discussing the overall situation with the doctors and inspecting the scene we believe this may have been a case of poisoning. The investigation is ongoing into whether it is poisoning or something else."
He also confirmed that close relatives of the family lived in the same building. Speaking to local media on Tuesday he said: “The other people in the building are close relatives of the victims. We questioned them."
After dinner on Monday, July 25, police say the family fell asleep in the same room. Between 10am and 10.30am on Tuesday their relatives tried to open the door to the flat.
They called the police when they heard no sounds inside. Police found the door locked, broke it open, and recovered the five unconscious victims inside.
