Zamil Ahamed Limon, one of the two Bangladeshi doctoral students at the University of South Florida who were murdered in the United States, has started his final journey for home in coffin.
An Emirates flight carrying the mortal remains of Limon departed from Orlando International Airport at 8:50pm local time on Saturday.
The flight is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 8:40am on Monday.
Seheli Sabrin, consul general of the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Miami, and Consul Tuing Aye were present at the airport and personally oversaw the repatriation process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.
It said following the recovery of Limon’s body on April 25, the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington, the Bangladesh Consulate in Miami, the victim’s family, authorities of University of South Florida, members of the Bangladeshi community in Tampa, and the relevant local police department worked in coordination to complete all necessary legal formalities and ensure the earliest possible repatriation of the body.
Earlier, Limon’s first namaz-e-janaza was held after Zuhr prayers on Thursday at Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area, Tampa in Florida.
Meanwhile, janaza for another Bangladeshi victim – Nahida Sultana Bristy – will be held after the Islamic Society at 2:00pm on May 6.
On May 1, the Hillsborough county sheriff’s office confirmed the identification of the second body as Bristy’s.
The Bangladesh Consulate in Miami, with consent from her family, formally requested the Pinellas county medical examiner’s office to release her body to the same funeral home for repatriation.
The Bangladesh Embassy and the Consulate General in Miami were jointly working to send her body to Bangladesh at the earliest possible time, the ministry said.
Limon and Bristy, both 27-year-old doctoral students from Bangladesh, disappeared on April 16. Limon was last seen at the off-campus complex where he shared an apartment with murder suspect Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, and another roommate.
Detectives used cellphone location and licence plate reader data to track Abugharbieh’s car and Limon’s phone to the bridge where Limon’s body was found on April 24. Limon had numerous stab wounds and appeared to be bound, according to a report filed by prosecutors.
The suspect was arrested days after the incident by a SWAT team at his parents’ home. A court ordered that he be held without bond.
Hisham Abugharbieh has also been barred from contacting witnesses or the victims’ family members, Hillsborough County Judge Logan Murphy said during a brief hearing in Tampa.
According to court records, Abugharbieh faces two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon along with other charges. He could face the death penalty if convicted, though prosecutors have not yet said whether they will pursue capital punishment.
When questioned days after the couple disappeared, Abugharbieh denied involvement, though detectives noted that his pinky finger was bandaged, according to a pretrial detention report.
Investigators later gained access to the apartment with the help of the building manager. A third roommate told police that Abugharbieh had used a cart overnight on April 16 to move cardboard boxes from his room to a trash compactor.
