Four people, including the house help, are being suspected to be involved in the murder of a woman and her teenage son in Sylhet.

On Sunday, 40-year-old Rokeya Begum and 16-year-old Rabiul Islam Rokon were found murdered in their flat at the city’s Mirabazar area.

Rokeya’s 5-year-old daughter Raisa was found on the ground floor of the three-storey building where the family lived as tenants.

Neighbours said that Rokeya, who ran a beauty salon, had an argument with her house help Tania a few days ago.

Tania, who had been working for six months, left the job following the incident. A few days later she showed up with two to three men at Rokeya’s home when another round of argument broke out, according to locals.

Neighbours said they stepped in to resolve the issue, but failed.

Sources in the police told Bangla Tribune that the three men, who had showed up with the house help, had been threatening Rokeya for quite some time.

Rokeya’s brother Zakir Hossain said he was aware of the incidents involving house help Tania and the men.

“The locals wanted to resolve the matter but failed. When she told me, I advised her to move to a different neighbourhood,” he said.

A police officer, involved with the probe, said that house help Tania’s detention would result in a lead.

Additional Commissioner Paritash Ghose of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police said the mother and son were strangled to death before their throat was slit with a sharp weapon.

“We suspect more than one people were involved in the killings and the victims possibly knew them.”

He added that police have some idea over the motive of the murder. “But we are still in the stage of analysing the information gathered so far.”

Rokeya lived with her two children at a ground floor flat of the three-storey building in Mirabazar’s Mitali Residential Area.

On Sunday, neighbours reported to police after hearing Rokeya’s 5-year-old daughter Raisa crying.

Police later recovered the bodies and took custody of the child.