Police have recovered the body of a 35-year-old woman from her home in Savar, with preliminary findings suggesting that she was raped before being strangled to death.

The victim’s body was found around 11:00pm last night in her flat in the Borodeshi area of Aminbazar, Zakir Hossain, in-charge of the Aminbazar Police Outpost, told The Daily Star.

Police rushed to the flat after receiving a call through the national emergency service at around 8:30pm.

"Based on the initial inquest and evidence collected from the scene, we suspect the victim was raped before being strangled with a scarf," the OC said.

A forensic team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) also examined the scene and reached similar preliminary observations, he added.

According to police, the woman divorced her husband about three years ago and had since been living in the rented flat with her 15-year-old daughter. She worked at Bashundhara Shopping Mall in Dhaka.

Police said the daughter left for a friend's house in the morning, and the two last spoke over the phone at around 3:00pm. She returned home at around 7:00pm and found her mother dead and alerted the neighbours. Investigators believe the crime took place sometime between 3:00pm and 6:45pm.

The victim's daughter has identified a man named Masum as the prime suspect. Police said they are investigating him as the main suspect but have not yet arrested him, as he remains on the run.

Speaking to The Daily Star at around 1:00am today at Savar Model Police Station, the victim's daughter said she and her mother shared the same room.

"The night before the incident, my mother had a heated argument on the phone with Masum. From their conversation, I understood that he was threatening her. I did not take it seriously at the time," she said.

"I went to a friend's house in the morning. My mother was supposed to go to work at Bashundhara [mall], but she did not. At around 3:00pm, she called me to ask where I was.

“When I returned home around sunset, I found my mother dead. The door’s hasp was unlocked. I believe Masum killed her, and I want justice for my mother’s murder,” she told The Daily Star, weeping.