Policeman’s mother and father killed in Dhaka’s Jatrabari

Police believe Shafiqur Rahman, 60, and his wife Farida Yasmin, 50, were hacked and strangled to death

The bodies of the parents of a police Special Branch sub-inspector have been recovered from a building in Dhaka’s Jatrabari. Police said the bodies bore wounds from sharp weapons.

The law enforcers recovered the bodies from the building at Paschim Momenbagh in Jatrabari’s Konapara area early on Thursday.

The dead were identified as 60-year-old Shafiqur Rahman, a former driver of Janata Bank, and his wife Farida Yasmin, 50. Their son is Sub-Inspector Emon.

Jatrabari Police Station Inspector Zakir Hossain said the law enforcers went to the house after receiving a call to the national helpline 999 around 7:30am on Thursday.

The couple had been living on the first floor of the building. The rest of the top two floors and a part of the ground floor are occupied by tenants.

Inspector Zakir said, “Shafiqur’s body was found in the garage on the ground floor, while Farida’s body was found in a bedroom on the first floor. Shafiqur was hacked to death and his wife strangled.”

The couple had a son and a daughter and both of them were married in the Jatrabari area. Emon and his wife live with his parents. The couple were left alone during the Eid holidays as Emon visited his grandparents in Feni and his wife went to celebrate the holiday with her parents.

Zakir told bdnew24.com that Shafiqur had left home for Fajr prayers early in the morning. The neighbours called 999 when they spotted Shafiqur’s body in the morning.

“It is not yet clear whether they were killed in a pre-meditated manner or during a robbery.”

Jatrabari Police Station chief Abul Hasan said Shafiqur would turn on the building’s water pump every morning and then go to the local mosque for Fajr prayers.

“It is believed that Shafiqur was hacked to death as he left the house to turn on the pump and the perpetrators later went to the first floor to kill his wife.”

Police found the main entrance and first-floor doors open when they reached the scene. A wardrobe inside the house was also thrown open.

However, the criminals did not take the gold jewellery worn by Farida. Police have yet to confirm if anything else is missing from the house, Hasan said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Demra Zone) Assistant Commissioner Nahid Ferdous said the law enforcers are still ‘completely clueless’ over the incident. Law enforcers could not reveal whether there was only one or multiple killers, or what types of weapons were used in the murders.

“We will try to contact Shafiqur’s son to confirm if the victims had any feuds or other issues with anyone.”

Responding to a question, Ferdous said there are not many CCTV cameras in the area. Almost all of the ones that are present are damaged.

“We are trying to identify the murderers and uncover the motive for the murders,” the police officer said.