A private tutor arrested in connection with the killing of a woman and her teenage daughter in Keraniganj has “confessed” to her role in the murders, which investigators say stemmed from a dispute over a loan.
The confession was recorded on Friday when Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Tajul Islam Sohag accepted the statement of Mim Akter, the tutor who lived in the same flat as the victims, and ordered her to be sent to jail.
Because she is under 18, the court did not record the statement of Mim’s younger sister. She has been sent to a juvenile development centre in Gazipur, Prosecution Police Assistant Sub-Inspector Alamgir Hossain said.
Police recovered the bodies of Rokeya Rahman, 31, and her 14-year-old daughter Zubaida Rahman Fatema on Thursday night from a second-floor flat in the Muktirbagh of Keraniganj, 21 days after they were reported missing.
Mim was Fatema’s private tutor and resided in the same flat. Police took her, her sister and her husband into custody following the body recovery.
Keraniganj Police Sub-Inspector Roni Chowdhury, the investigating officer, said Mim had taken a Tk 50,000 loan from an NGO, with Rokeya acting as the guarantor. Mim was required to pay Tk 5,000 each month as instalments.
“The relationship between Mim and Rokeya deteriorated after the loan instalments fell into arrears,” the officer said.
According to the investigation, on Dec 25, when Fatema went to attend a tutoring session at Mim’s home, the issue of the unpaid loan came up, leading to an argument. At one point, Fatema slapped Mim.
“Enraged, Mim and her sister strangled Fatema to death,” the investigator said.
Police said Mim later called Rokeya to the flat, claiming her daughter had fallen ill.
“As soon as Rokeya entered the flat, Mim’s younger sister strangled her with a scarf,” the officer added.
Investigators said Fatema’s body was kept on the bathroom ceiling, while Rokeya’s body was hidden under a bed. The bodies remained concealed for 21 days.
After failing to locate his wife and daughter, Rokeya’s husband Shahin Ahmed filed a general diary with Keraniganj Police. When the search yielded no result, he lodged a murder case on Jan 6.
Shahin has two wives. Rokeya was his first wife and Fatema was their only child. He has a son and two daughters from his second marriage. The two families lived nearby but separately.
Shahin said he became concerned after being unable to reach Rokeya and Fatema by phone following Dec 25. When he visited Rokeya’s home, he found it locked.
He alleged that when he tried to inquire at Mim’s residence, her husband threatened him, despite later being found to have helped pack the bodies.
Shahin also alleged that jewellery and mobile phones belonging to his wife and daughter were missing, rejecting the claim that the killings were solely over a loan dispute.
“My wife stood as guarantor to help her. Does that justify killing her?” he asked.
Demanding the maximum punishment for those involved, he said: “I cannot get them back, but I want justice.”
