Slain Barguna youth Refat's wife Minny arrested, initial probe leads police to her

Police have arrested Aysha Siddika Minny after daylong interrogation over the daylight murder of her husband Refat Shorif in Barguna.

Barguna Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 16 July 2019, 03:47 PM
Updated : 16 July 2019, 07:35 PM

Evidence “initially” suggests that Minny was involved in the murder, Barguna Superintendent of Police Maruf Hossain said on Tuesday night after her arrest.

Minny was interrogated at the SP’s office throughout the day earlier.

A video of Minny trying to save her husband from the assailants who hacked Refat after beating him up on June 26 on College Road in the town went viral on social media, sending the internet into meltdown.

Video screengrab

Refat’s father Dulal Shorif accused 12 people in a case over the murder. Minny was named as the key witness.

The case took a different turn after Dulal pointed the finger at Minny two days ago.

Police officials did not admit to arresting Minny after she, accompanied by her parents, was taken to the SP’s office on Tuesday morning.

SP Maruf in the afternoon said they were recording Minny’s statement as the key witness.

Barguna Sadar Police Station Inspector Md Humayun Kabir, who is investigating the case, also denied having arrested or detained Minny.

Her uncle Abu Saleh told reporters that a team of policewomen went to the house of Minny’s father Mozammel Hossain Kishore in the morning and asked her to come to the police lines for identification of the accused and discussion.

While revealing the news of her arrest at 9:30pm, SP Maruf told the media: “We’ve arrested her to solve the mystery and for the sake of fair investigation. Initial interrogation by the investigation officer and long review and analysis of information initially suggest she was involved with the murder.”

She will be produced in court on Wednesday morning, the SP said.

Police had been guarding Minny’s home after the murder of Refat and her uncle said a team of 10 policewomen were also there on Tuesday morning.

SP Maruf said Minny was indeed under police watch.

No comment of her relatives was immediately available.

After her father-in-law expressed his suspicion over her alleged involvement in the murder, she said he was making “imaginary claims on being influenced by conspirators”.

She also said the “Bond 007” group led by key murder suspect Sabbir Ahmed Nayon alias Nayon Bond, who was killed in a so-called gunfight with police on July 2, is “very powerful” and “trying to change the course of investigation to save themselves”.

A day after Dulal’s press conference where he accused Minny, a group of people demonstrated outside the Barguna Press Club demanding her arrest.

Local MP Dhirendra Debnath Shambhu’s son Sunam Debnath, who is also Baguna District Awami League’s science and technology affairs secretary, was present among the demonstrators.

Sunam is said to have been backing Nayon, the key suspect – an accusation the MP’s son denies.

Two other key suspects – brothers Rifat Forazi and Rishan Forazi – are relatives of local Awami League leader and Barguna district council chairman Delwar Hossain. He has also denied supporting the duo.

Rifat is among 13 arrested in the case while Rishan is still on the run.

Ten of the accused have made confessional statements in court while three others are being grilled in police custody.

Refat Shorif

Minny, a first-year student of Barguna Government Degree College, said she could identify Nayon, Rifat and Rishan among the lead assailants.

She alleged Nayon sexually harassed her before she married Refat two months before the murder.

Refat’s father Dulal, however, said she had been married to Nayon as well but had been hiding it.

Minny protested Dulal’s statement and denied having married Nayon, but said she was forced into signing a marriage document.