Adam House Cult Suicide

On 11 July 2007, nine members of a family committed mass suicide in the railtrack in Kashor, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Seven were killed instantly after stepping in front of a moving train near the Kashor rail tracks, while two others died later from their injuries. Later investigations found diaries and symbolic writings in their home, revealing a shared belief in a self-invented cult, named Ādôm Dhôrmô centred on their deceased patriarch, who claimed to be the original Adam. The police and psychologists suggested the deaths were motivated by shared psychosis.

Background Anwar Darbesh, originally a non-commissioned officer in the Pakistan Army, retired from service before the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. He was fluent in Arabic, Urdu, and Persian, and was known for his deep commitment to Islamic practices until the mid-1990s. Locally, he was reputed to possess clairvoyant powers, earning the honorific Darbesh . People from different districts would seek his blessings or spiritual remedies for illness.

In 2004, Darbesh's son Maehi, who had adopted the name Galen M. Sany and worked as Director of Admissions at East West University in Dhaka, was murdered. Police later discovered forged university certificates in his possession. His death left the family without financial support, further deepening their hardship. He was buried at Char Kalibari Graveyard, reportedly after his brother Arif apologized to the community and reaffirmed the family's Muslim identity. After Maehi's death, Arif moved to Dhaka in search of work, supporting the family by teaching. With no adult male left in the household, the family's vulnerability increased in the years leading up to the mass suicide.

Following the accident, hundreds of people gathered near the site, which was located approximately 30 feet from the family's tin-shed home. Witnesses described a grisly scene: body parts were scattered across the railway tracks, with one hand found nearly three kilometres from the site. Human brain tissue and hair were dispersed over the stones along the rail line, prompting widespread panic and fear among onlookers.

The victims were: The case was also featured in one of the episodes of the true-crime podcast The Desi Crime Podcast, which provides a detailed narration and analysis of the events surrounding it.