Woman video-calls father late at night to report abuse, call drops; family finds her dead

Jumratun Nessa Barsha, 24, made a video call to her father late at night after allegedly being abused by her husband. She told her parents about the abuse and sought their help. At one point, the video call was disconnected. A short while later, when her family went to check on her at her place, they discovered that Barsha was no longer alive.

These details were shared by her family members with Prothom Alo.

The incident took place around midnight on Tuesday (27 October) at a residence in the capital's Monipuripara area. Barsha was later taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where physicians on duty declared her dead.

Her father, Sheikh Monowar Hossain, a permanent resident of Lalbagh, filed a murder case at Tejgaon police station over the incident.

Barsha’s uncle, Sheikh Zakir Hossain, told Prothom Alo that Barsha and Nabid Hossain had a love marriage a year ago. Nabid was unemployed. After the marriage, he would ask his father-in-law for money from time to time.

Barsha’s family had given him money several times before. However, arguments frequently broke out between the couple over his financial demands. Barsha was also beaten.

On one previous occasion, she even had to receive hospital treatment after being assaulted. Her family had not been informed about any of these incidents at the time.

Describing the incident, Zakir Hossain said Barsha was beaten again on Tuesday after she was pressured to demand more money from her brother. Someone from her in-laws' side recorded the assault and sent the video to Barsha’s family.

Unable to bear the abuse, Barsha made a video call to her father around 12.00 am. She was seen crying during the call and repeatedly asked to take her back to her parental home. She also said that if they did not take her away, she would be killed. At one point, the call abruptly disconnected.

Zakir Hossain said that after the call dropped, Barsha’s parents immediately set out for her residence in Monipuripara. When they reached at around 12:30 am, they saw an ambulance outside.

They later asked her father-in-law about the matter and were told that Barsha had died by suicide and was being taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.

After hearing this, her parents rushed to the hospital, unaware that Borsha had already died. When Barsha was being taken out of the ambulance, they desperately called out her name. Later, nurses on duty then examined her and informed the family that she had passed away.

Asked about the incident, Tejgaon police station officer-in-charge Muniruzzaman told Prothom Alo that Barsha’s husband, Nabid Hossain, had beaten her on several occasions over demands for dowry.

Marks of injuries were found on her body, he said. Barsha’s father filed a case as the complainant. Nabid was later arrested from the hospital and sent to court. The investigation is ongoing, the OC added.

Barsha's relatives allege that since the marriage, Nabid had constantly pressured her to bring money from her family, using excuses like starting a business or buying a motorcycle.

Although Barsha's father had given him money several times, Nabid used it on drugs. Barsha's family stopped giving him money at one point, which caused the torture to escalate. Borsha hid much of the abuse from her family.

No statement could be obtained from anyone in Nabid’s family regarding these allegations.