After murdering wife, he went on to commit rape and murder over 12 years

Moniruzzaman Matubbar, also known as Hridoy, fled after killing his wife 12 years ago.

After serving four years in prison for the wife murder case, he was released on bail and went into hiding again.

He then got involved in a series of crimes. His name also surfaced in the gang rape and murder of a woman.

Most recently, Moniruzzaman's name came up in the investigation of the murder of a pregnant woman and her husband in Ashulia, Dhaka. After his arrest, he confessed to the murder in court.

Police said that Moniruzzaman has been involved in a series of serious crimes. He is currently in Dhaka Central Jail.

Family sources say that Moniruzzaman, also known as Monir Hossain or Hridoy Matubbar (44), is from Damdardi village in Nagarkanda, Faridpur. He is the third among three brothers and three sisters. From an early age, he was aggressive and cruel by nature. Even after marriage, his behaviour didn't change, which angered his family members.

Police reported that in 2014, charges were brought against Moniruzzaman for killing his wife, Rahela Begum, in Nagarkanda. He fled, and a murder case was filed against him at the Nagarkanda police station in Faridpur.

The investigating officer of the case, then-sub-inspector (SI) Abdul Quddus of Nagarkanda police station, told Prothom Alo that Monir was of a delinquent nature.

He would get into conflicts with neighbours and villagers for no reason. His family arranged his marriage hoping he would settle down to a normal life, but within months of the marriage, Monir killed his sleeping wife by strangling her. He then went into hiding. Eventually, the police arrested him in Dhaka.

SI Abdul Quddus said that a charge-sheet was filed against Moniruzzaman in court for the wife's murder case. After serving four years in prison, he was released on bail in 2018. After staying at home for a while, he fled again. As he remained a fugitive in the wife murder case, a warrant was issued for his arrest by the court.

After being released on bail in the wife murder case, Moniruzzaman went into hiding in Ashulia, Savar, Dhaka. There, he became involved in even more serious crimes. His name recently emerged in the investigation of a double murder case in Ashulia.

On the night of 5 September, the bodies of pregnant Nazma Begum (39) and her husband Alamgir Kabir (45) were recovered from a room of a residential building in Jamgara, Madya (middle) Ashulia, after breaking into the locked apartment.

Najma Begum's body was found on the bed, with her newborn's body next to her. Alamgir Kabir's body was found in the same room, hanging from the ceiling fan with a rope around his neck.

Najma worked in a garment factory, while Alamgir was unemployed at the time, having worked in a garment factory before. Both were from Nawabganj upazila of Dinajpur.

In that incident, Najma's elder sister Shapla Begum filed a murder case against unknown persons at Ashulia police station. The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) took over the investigation of the case.

Shamsul Arefin, an additional superintendent of police in PBI Dhaka district, told Prothom Alo that there were no clues in the murder case.

PBI identified Moniruzzaman as a suspect using undercover agents. Then, on 8 September, he was apprehended from Narsinghpur area, Ashulia. During interrogation, Moniruzzaman admitted to killing Alamgir and his pregnant wife and explained the details of the incident. Based on the information he provided, PBI recovered Najma's purse, mobile phone with SIM card, and identification papers.

PBI officer Shamsul Arefin said the investigation revealed that after being released on bail, Moniruzzaman went into hiding in Ashulia.

There, he met Alamgir. Before the murder, Alamgir was unemployed while Moniruzzaman was involved in a vegetable business.

Their houses were nearby. Moniruzzaman developed a relationship with Najma under the pretence of marrying her. When Alamgir learned about it, a conflict arose between them.

On 2 September, Moniruzzaman was invited to Alamgir's house by Alamgir and his wife. Upon his arrival, Alamgir confronted Moniruzzaman about his relationship with Najma, leading to an argument that escalated into a physical fight.

During the altercation, Najma hit Moniruzzaman with a broom, to which Moniruzzaman retaliated by kicking her in the stomach, causing her to fall on the bed and resulting in the loss of her unborn child. Nazma and her unborn child died.

Alamgir then attacked Moniruzzaman with a spatula and pipe, but Moniruzzaman choked him to death with a towel.

Later, Moniruzzaman hanged Alamgir's body from the ceiling fan and took Najma's Android phone, SIM card, identification papers, and purse to his house. Moniruzzaman has given a confession in court regarding the incident.

PBI officer Shamsul Arefin said further investigations revealed that on 22 December 2022, Moniruzzaman and two of his associates raped a woman in a jungle in Noyanagar, Ashulia and then suffocated her to death.

Moniruzzaman confessed this during interrogation. Eight months after his arrest in that case, Moniruzzaman was released on bail.

While the gang rape and murder case was ongoing, he entered the house in Jamgara, Ashulia and murdered Alamgir, his wife Najma, and their unborn child.

Family members have severed ties with Moniruzzaman due to his criminal activities, said relatives. His elder sister Taslima Begum told Prothom Alo that her brother had an aggressive and disobedient nature, which always displeased their parents and family members. Their father, Jabbar Matubbar, passed away about 40 days ago with sorrow over his son's behaviour. Their mother is now ill.

Taslima Begum mentioned that family members have severed ties with Monir due to his criminal behaviour. The family has no objections or regrets even if he receives the maximum punishment according to the legal process for his crimes and sins.

She noted that after being released from the murder case, Moniruzzaman was not attending court properly, which led to a warrant being issued for his arrest. After that, he moved away from Nagarkanda in Faridpur, and family members also cut off contact with him. Moniruzzaman has a daughter from his first marriage, whom Taslima's her mother is now raising and educating.

PBI officials mentioned that beginning with the accusation of killing his wife, Moniruzzaman later became involved in one serious crime after another. Most recently, he was arrested for the murder of Alamgir and his unborn child along with Najma in Ashulia and is now in Dhaka Central Jail.