Shameem flies to Malaysia to bring home Coco's body

Shameem Iskander, brother of Khaleda Zia, and two other family members have gone to Malaysia to bring the body of the BNP chairperson's deceased son Arafat Rahman Coco.

Shairul Kabir Khan, an officer of the BNP chairperson's press wing, confirmed this to Prothom Alo on Sunday.

Coco breathed his last Saturday afternoon on his way to Malaysia National Hospital after a cardiac arrest.

Losing her younger son Arafat Rahman Coco in his 40s, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has been stricken with grief and turned speechless.

Officials at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office said Nasrin Saeed, wife of Khaleda Zia's late brother Saeed Iskander, and Kaneez Fatima, wife of another brother Shameem Iskander, conveyed the sad news to the BNP chairperson at around 2:30pm.

The bereaved mother, Khaleda, has kept closed the door of the room at her Gulshan office and is "shedding tears", BNP standing committee member Mahbubur Rahman told newsmen. "She is not allowing anyone to meet her," he said.

Khaleda, prime minister of the country thrice, got silent at the sudden demise of her son in Malaysia on Saturday afternoon. Afterwards, her officials said, she burst into tears and could not say anything. "She is staying alone in her room," one of them said.