Man flees saying, ‘Your sister died, Come and take her body’

The family received a phone call in the morning informing them that their sister was no longer alive. Her husband, Rubel, had called and said, “Your sister has died. Come and collect her body.”

Upon receiving the news, family members rushed to the rented house at Paschim Jurain in the capital. There, they found the body of Suchona Akter, 25, on a bed.

A rope was wrapped around Suchona's neck. Her husband, Rubel, was not at home at the time, and his mobile phone was switched off.

The incident took place on Tuesday morning at a rented house at Paschim Jurain, Shyampur, in the capital. Police and family members later recovered the body of Suchona and took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. At around 2.45 pm, the emergency department physician declared her dead.

Suchona worked at a ready-made garment factory and was originally from Sonargaon upazila in Narayanganj. She met Mohammad Rubel three years ago while working at the same factory.

They eventually developed a romantic relationship and later eloped and got married. However, their families did not accept the marriage.

Suchona's elder brother, Mohammad Akash, told Prothom Alo that the family learnt a few months after the marriage that Rubel had previously married another woman. His first wife lives in Narayanganj.

Suchona and Rubel frequently argued over the matter. Rubel did not work and was addicted to drugs. He often demanded money from Suchona and physically abused her when she refused to give it to him.

Akash further said that, because of her strained relationship with the family, Suchona silently endured the abuse and rarely told anyone about it. They had learnt that Rubel had beaten her again on Monday night.

Akash alleged that someone had deliberately murdered his sister and attempted to portray the incident as a suicide. He said Rubel fled the house after informing the family of her death in the morning. The family has filed a murder case with Shyampur police station over the incident.

Akash also said that, following the post-mortem examination, the family was taking Suchona's body to their village home in Narayanganj for burial.

The Officer-in-Charge of Shyampur police station told Prothom Alo that investigators initially suspected that the incident stemmed from domestic disputes.

He further said Suchona had reportedly faced physical abuse on several occasions. Her brother has filed a murder case, and the accused husband, Rubel, has been absconding since the incident. Police are conducting operations to arrest him.