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Published : 24 Mar 2026, 12:53 AM
Police have found “evidence of rape” during the investigation into the death of a teenage domestic worker who died seven months ago at a residence in Dhaka’s Dakshinkhan.
The findings have led to the arrest of the employer, Shariful Islam, after a forensic report confirmed the presence of semen in the victim’s high vaginal swab (HVS) test.
The victim, a teenage girl from the same village as the employer, died on Aug 19, 2025, at Shariful’s residence in Azampur Kachabazar.
The death was initially recorded as an "unnatural death" case, with the employer’s family claiming she committed suicide by consuming pesticide after being scolded over a mobile phone.
The medical examination, however, later contradicted the narrative.
The forensic results prompted the victim’s mother to file a fresh case on Feb 27, leading to Shariful’s immediate arrest.
He is currently behind bars.
Investigators are now waiting for DNA cross-matching to confirm the perpetrator’s identity.
"We have collected the victim’s DNA and sent the suspect’s samples for testing. Since Shariful was the only male resident in that house, we are moving forward with the legal process based on the forensic evidence," said Dakshinkhan Police chief Mehedi Hasan.
A Dhaka metropolitan magistrate has directed the police to submit the formal investigation report by Apr 12, after the prosecution failed to meet the previous deadline on Mar 16.
The victim’s mother has rejected the suicide claim, alleging that her daughter was murdered to cover up the sexual assault.
She also accused the influential employer of attempting to hush up the matter through a local arbitration that pressured the family into a Tk 480,000 settlement.
"I don't want money, I want justice," she said.
"They brought my daughter to Dhaka promising to take responsibility for her marriage, but instead, they returned her as a corpse. They kept her death a secret from me for hours while I was on my way to the hospital."
The victim had been working at the residence since 2022 to care for the couple’s child.
Her family alleges that she was forcibly brought back to Dhaka during the last Eid-ul-Azha despite their wishes to keep her home.
