Man arrested for suspected murder of dentist wife in Dakkhinkhan
A Dhaka court has granted police a two-day remand to question Mohammad Sohel Rana, the husband of dentist Sara Roksana, 42, in connection with her murder in the capital's Dakshinkhan area.
The order was passed on Monday by Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid.
The investigating officer had sought a seven-day remand for interrogation. Following a hearing, the court approved a two-day remand.
The order was confirmed by Abu Bakar Siddique, a Sub-Inspector attached to the prosecution division of the Dhaka courts.
During the hearing, defence counsel Shahabuddin Sheikh opposed the remand request and sought bail for his client.
He argued that Sohel Rana had been wrongfully arrested and, although there had been marital discord between the couple, he was not responsible for the killing.
The prosecution opposed bail and argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the circumstances surrounding the murder.
After the remand order was issued, Sohel Rana told journalists while being escorted from the court building: "I did not kill her. The police could not find the real suspect, so they have framed me. I want a proper investigation. I want justice."
Body recovered from flat
Sara Roksana's body was recovered last Thursday (30 July) from a second-floor flat in Jamtala Lane of the Faydabad area in Dakkhinkhan.
The following day, the victim's sister filed a murder case.
Police also stated that a shoe-print found on the inner balcony beneath the window matched Sohel Rana's footwear, which he acknowledged belonged to him. However, investigators found no corresponding footprints on the roof outside or on the opposite side of the building.
According to the case statement, Sohel Rana left for work after dropping their 10-year-old daughter at school at around 11:20 am, leaving Sara Roksana alone at home.
When school ended at around 3:30 pm, the girl returned home by herself. Entering the bedroom, she found her mother lying on the bed with a pillow pressed over her face. After receiving no response, she realised her mother was no longer breathing. She returned to her school and informed her father using the principal's mobile phone.
Sohel Rana and later members of Sara Roksana's family arrived at the flat. A window grille was found cut open, and jewellery worth an estimated Tk2 million was reported missing from a wardrobe.
Initially, investigators suspected that thieves or robbers had entered the flat by cutting through the grille, looted valuables and killed Sara Roksana.
Later, a team from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) collected forensic evidence from the scene, while the body was sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Why police became suspicious
As the investigation progressed, police detained Sohel Rana late on Friday night.
In the remand application submitted to the court, the investigating officer said that although the window grille had been cut, none of the neighbours reported hearing any noise.
Police also stated that a shoe-print found on the inner balcony beneath the window matched Sohel Rana's footwear, which he acknowledged belonged to him. However, investigators found no corresponding footprints on the roof outside or on the opposite side of the building.
Investigators also noted that when Sohel Rana returned home and saw his wife in that condition, he neither touched her nor attempted to provide medical assistance.
The application further said the victim's daughter told police that her mother routinely locked the front door from inside after preparing her for school each morning. On the day of the incident, however, the door had not been locked.
Investigators also noted that when Sohel Rana returned home and saw his wife in that condition, he neither touched her nor attempted to provide medical assistance.
Police further observed that the wardrobe used by Sohel Rana remained untouched, while old empty jewellery boxes at the scene appeared to have been neatly arranged. Based on these observations, investigators suspect that no genuine burglary or robbery had taken place.
The remand application also stated that Sohel Rana admitted the couple had experienced longstanding marital discord and said he suspected his wife of having a relationship with another person.
It further referred to allegations made by the victim’s family, who claimed that Sohel Rana had subjected his wife to abuse over a prolonged period and had relationships with multiple women.
They also alleged that, shortly before her death, Sara Roksana had telephoned her sister to express fears for her own safety.