Palashbari police station’s officer-in-charge (OC), Sarware Alam Khan, confirmed the case on Friday (September 11) evening. The same day, Rahima Begum, mother of the victim, Mayida, filed the case at Palashbari police station. Rahima Begum works as a document copier at the Palashbari sub-registry office. The only named accused in the case is Siyam Al Mursalin Akash, with two to three unidentified individuals also named as accused.
The accused, Siyam Al Mursalin Akash, is the son of the late Mazharul Islam Sontu of Shalmara village, Hosenpur union, Palashbari upazila. The victim, Mayida Akter, was the daughter of the late Shahajada Mia of Idilpur village, Sadullapur upazila, and was a first-year honours student in sociology at Palashbari Government College. After Asr prayers, her funeral was held and she was buried at the family graveyard.
The victim’s uncle, Mazedur Rahman, alleges that Mayida objected the previous afternoon when her husband was using drugs at home with another woman. Following this, he alleges, she was killed and her body hung from a ceiling fan. He told Dhaka Post that Siyam had a separate room in his house for drug use, where he regularly used drugs with friends. That day, however, five people — three friends and one woman — used drugs together. Mayida had tolerated her husband using drugs with his friends up to that point, but objected when a woman was brought in for drug use that afternoon, he said. This led first to an argument and then to Mayida being beaten to death. After she died from the beating, her body was hung from the fan.
He further said that while a scarf or rope was being tied around her neck, their four-year-old son, Ayash, approached his mother, and Siyam told the child it was a game being played with his mother to distract him. Mayida’s uncle Mazedur claims the child confirmed this to police as well.
According to the victim’s family, the health complex, police and the case’s first information report, Siyam Al Mursalin Akash had forcibly taken Mayida away roughly five years ago following a romantic relationship and married her. Siyam had a history of drug addiction even before the marriage. After the wedding, he subjected his wife, Mayida, to repeated physical and mental abuse, with or without reason. The couple had two sons. Even two or three days before the killing, Siyam had beaten his wife severely.
After the killing, Siyam himself drove his wife to Palashbari Upazila Health Complex in a private car. When the duty doctor declared Mayida dead, Siyam fled. Police were later informed and took the victim’s body to Palashbari police station. The following afternoon, after a post-mortem examination, police handed the body over to the family. Siyam was later apprehended by locals, based on information received, and taken to the police station.
Over the incident, the victim’s mother filed a murder case naming her son-in-law, Siyam, as the sole named accused, along with two to three unidentified individuals. Siyam was shown arrested in that case and sent to jail through the court that afternoon.
Palashbari police station OC Sarware Alam Khan told Dhaka Post that a murder case had been filed against the accused husband, Mursalin, and that he had been sent to jail. He said the body showed several previous injury marks on different parts, and injury marks were also found on the neck. The actual cause of death would become clear once the post-mortem report is received, he said, adding that the incident is being investigated seriously.