A woman was allegedly beaten to death with a hammer by the muazzin of a local mosque in Tangail after she refused to lend him money, police said at a press briefing today.

Tangail Additional Superintendent of Police Mahbub Rezwan Siddique told reporters that police recovered the bloodstained body of Nazma Alam, 51, from her house in the Shibnath Para area of Tangail town on Sunday after being informed by local residents.

Police arrested the local mosque's muazzin, Mosharraf Hossain, 45, yesterday on suspicion of involvement in the murder.

During preliminary interrogation, Mosharraf told police that he had been serving as the mosque's muazzin for about two decades and had developed a close relationship with Nazma's family. He had taught Arabic to Nazma's children and was a frequent visitor to the family's home.

According to police, Mosharraf became angry a few days before the incident after Nazma refused to lend him Tk 1 lakh.

On the day of the incident, he allegedly entered the house after finding Nazma alone, struck her on the head with a hammer and then strangled her by tying a rope around her neck to ensure her death.

Police said he later took Tk 30,000 in cash and three and a half bhori of gold jewellery from the house. He also broke the house's CCTV camera and took away its DVR.

Mosharraf later sold the stolen gold to a local goldsmith. Acting on information provided by him, police also arrested the goldsmith, Santosh Karmakar.

Sub-Inspector Rafiul Karim, the investigating officer, said Nazma's husband, Shahin Alam, filed a murder case with Tangail Sadar Police Station over the incident.

The two arrestees were sent to court this afternoon after expressing their willingness to give confessional statements.