Agartala, June 12: A court in Tripura on Thursday remanded six individuals including a doctor and his parents to three-day police custody in connection with the brutal murder of 28-year-old Shariful Islam, allegedly stemming from a love triangle.

The accused, arrested on Tuesday night, were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Civil Judge, West Tripura District, as police sought custody for further interrogation.

Tight security was deployed around the CJM Court as tensions escalated outside the premises. A large crowd, including the victim’s family members, gathered demanding strict punishment and raising slogans in support of capital punishment for those involved in what has been described as a heinous and premeditated crime.

Shariful Islam, who worked as an electrician for Agartala’s Smart City Project, was reported missing on June 8. His body was discovered three days later, packed inside a suitcase and stored in an ice-cream freezer at a shop in Gandacherra, Dhalai district — around 130 km from Agartala.

West Tripura Superintendent of Police Kiran Kumar K. stated that Dibakar Saha, a 28-year-old MBBS graduate from Bangladesh, was the prime accused. He allegedly purchased the suitcase two days before the murder, tied Shariful’s hands, and strangled him before transporting the body to his father's shop and hiding it in the freezer on June 9.

Shariful’s family had lodged a missing person complaint at the New Capital Complex police station on the same day.

Initial investigations revealed that a love triangle was the motive behind the murder. Shariful was reportedly in a relationship with Dibakar’s cousin sister — the same woman Dibakar himself was allegedly in love with. Police recovered mobile messages and digital evidence that support this angle.

“Shariful was invited by Dibakar to a friend’s house in South Indiranagar on June 8, under the pretext of receiving gifts. There, Dibakar allegedly strangled him to death in the presence of others,” said the SP.

The six arrested individuals are: Dibakar Saha (28), his father Dipak Saha (52), mother Debika Saha (40), and their acquaintances — Nabanita Das (25), Joydeep Das (20), and Animesh Yadav (21).

Police have claimed they have recovered substantial digital evidence, including mobile communications, confirming both the motive and the involvement of multiple individuals in the crime.

The case has sparked public outrage across the state and continues to draw widespread media attention.