Ballistics test underway in Banani couple’s death

Police have determined that the pistol found near a couple shot dead in their Banani DOHS home belongs to the husband, and are now trying to find out whether the two shots were fired from that weapon.

They believe businessman Abdur Rob shot dead his wife Rokhsana and then killed himself.

The family also does not believe the deaths were murders. Son Nafis Ahmed filed an unnatural death case at the Cantonment Police Station on Tuesday.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Kudrat-e Khuda said Rokhsana had a bullet wound on her back and on her chest, while Rob had one on his head.

Rokhsana was found lying on the bed and Rob on the floor. The weapon lay near his feet.

Police have confirmed that the pistol belonged to Rob.

Cantonment Police Station Officer-in-Charge Atiqur Rahman said the pistol had seven bullets in the chamber.

“The CID will conduct the ballistics tests to determine whether this pistol was used. The weapon will also be tested for fingerprints,” he said.

After visiting the crime scene, RAB additional DG Ziaul Ahsan told bdnews24.com that prima facie evidence suggested the man had killed himself after murdering his wife.

Nafis told reporters his father was visibly frustrated due to a slump in business and lenders were hounding him for their money.

But police say they will take further decisions after getting the autopsy and the ballistic reports.

AC Kudrat said, “If we find any inconsistency or the evidence of a third person’s presence in that room, this UD case will become a murder investigation.”

Eldest son Najib Ahmed said his parents were laid to rest at the Banani graveyard on Tuesday afternoon.

The couple’s autopsies were done at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital before their burial. The forensic department has refused to disclose the results.

Rob and Rokhsana lived in a flat in the building 60/A, Road 5, in the Old Banani DOHS with their nine-year-old daughter. Their three sons did not live with them.