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Published : 03 Mar 2026, 02:57 PM
An elderly woman has been killed during a robbery in a house in Dhaka’s Uttara.
Police have taken one of the tenants in the building in custody for questioning.
The incident took place between 8pm and 9pm on Monday during Taraweeh prayers at a house on Road No. 4, Block E, Sector 15 in Uttara, Turag Police Station chief (OC) Rafiqul Islam said.
He told bdnews24.com that the 66-year-old woman, Rejina Momtaz, lived on the second floor of the house with her husband Mahe Alam. The building belongs to the couple.
OC Rafiqul said, “Mahe Alam went to offer Taraweeh prayers. Taking that opportunity, miscreants entered the house, found the elderly woman alone, taped her mouth shut and looted valuables.”
Rejina’s body was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College morgue around 11am on Tuesday.
A police official involved in the investigation said, after reviewing CCTV footage, it was found that before the incident, Nur-e-Alam, a tenant on the third floor, came downstairs and sent the gatekeeper to buy something. At that time, a man entered from outside and went into the house with Nur.
The officer said, “The gatekeeper’s wife became suspicious after seeing two masked men there. She then called her husband, and they went up to the second floor and stood in front of the building owner’s door. But as the door was locked, they could not enter and received no response from inside. Later, the house owner was called back from the mosque.”
“They broke open the door and found Rejina lying on the floor with tape wrapped around her mouth. The entire house was ransacked. She was taken to hospital, where doctors declared her dead.”
Police said they later called Nur to the station based on CCTV footage and information provided by the gatekeeper.
The investigating officer said, “We told him that water was leaking from his flat and asked him to come quickly. He was then taken into police custody for questioning.”
MOTHER WAS CONVINCED TO OPEN THE DOOR
Rejina’s son, Raisul Alam, said construction of their house in Uttara Sector 15 has yet to be completed. It is habitable up to the third floor. The first floor is rented out as an office and the third floor to a family, while his parents live on the second floor.
His father, Alam, is a former general manager of Sonali Bank. On Monday night, he had gone to the mosque to offer Taraweeh prayers. During that time, two masked strangers entered their flat and left about an hour later.
Raisul said, “After some time, the gatekeeper’s wife went to call my mother and found the door locked from inside. The television could be heard playing. After repeated calls with no response, she informed her husband. He then brought my father back from the mosque.”
“With the key he had, my father opened the door and found my mother lying there with her hands tied behind her back, and tape wrapped around her eyes, nose and mouth. Although the tape was removed quickly, she was unresponsive. Pieces of cloth had been stuffed into her mouth. She was later taken to hospital, where doctors declared her dead.”
Raisul said he and his brother both lived outside the family home due to work commitments. There were CCTV cameras at the entrance of the building and in front of their flat.
“The footage from the camera in front of our flat shows the miscreants disconnecting it by hand. Our flat door cannot be opened from outside without a key. It was found intact. The killers must have said something that made my mother open the door from inside. The third-floor tenant was doing something unusual at the time, which is why police are suspecting him.”
