Body of Bangladeshi student Bristy, murdered in Florida arrives home

The body of Bangladeshi student Nahida Sultana Bristy, who was brutally murdered in the US state of Florida, has arrived in Dhaka.

The aircraft carrying Bristy’s body landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 9:00 am (Bangladesh time) today, Saturday.

At around 10:00 am, the ambulance carrying her body left the airport’s cargo village area. At the time, Bristy’s parents, family members and relatives were overcome with grief.

On Thursday local time, an Emirates flight (EK 0220) carrying Bristy’s body departed from Orlando International Airport in Florida for Dhaka. The body arrived in Dhaka via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Press minister at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC Golam Mortoza in a post on his verified Facebook page, said a representative from the Bangladesh Consulate in Miami, Florida, was present at the airport.

Earlier, Bristy’s first namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) was held in Tampa, Florida, at 2:00 pm local time on Wednesday.

Many students and teachers from the University of South Florida, as well as members of the Bangladeshi community, attended the funeral prayer. A representative from the Bangladesh Consulate in Miami was also present there.

Bristy, 27, was a PhD student at the University of South Florida. Another Bangladeshi PhD student from the same university, Zamil Ahamed Limon, 27, was also a victim of the brutal killings. His body arrived in Dhaka on 4 May.

Bristy was pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering, while Limon was studying geography, environmental science and policy. The University of South Florida authorities have decided to award both of them with posthumous doctoral degrees.

Bristy and Limon went missing on 16 April. A friend later alerted the university authorities. Police subsequently confirmed that both had been brutally murdered. Police have arrested Limon’s roommate, US citizen Hisham Abugharbieh, in connection with the killings.